Jacob & Renesmee
by BoysNBooksRBetter
Summary: Six years after Breaking Dawn's conclusion, the Jacob and Renesmee love story begins...   from Jacob's POV, rated M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Discovery

I looked around the room and felt my limbs starting to tremble. I wasn't in danger of phasing because this wasn't an angry sensation. It was just nerves. It might have had something to do with all the eyes that were now staring at me. I counted seven pairs of leeches' eyes and one pair of half vampire- half human eyes. Those were the ones I focused on now trying to calm myself down; those big beautiful chocolate brown eyes that could always bring me peace of mind. The only person in the room _not_ staring at me was Edward. He couldn't even bring himself to look at me. Most of the time I wished he couldn't read my thoughts. It was extremely annoying to not be able to have privacy even inside your own head. At least with the pack all I had to do was phase back to my human body to get the guys out of my thoughts. Of course right now I was thanking God that he could – and was- listening to my every thought. I was trying to convince him of my still innocent feelings towards his daughter before he ripped me to shreds.

I don't even know why he's so surprised. We all knew this time was coming. Nessie turned six years old last September and according to Nahuel and Carlisle that meant she was almost fully grown. Ness was 5'4" and had the body of healthy 17-year-old-girl. She was incredibly intelligent and beautiful. She looked a lot like Edward in her facial features and bronze hair color but there was so much Bella in her too. She had Bella's beautiful eyes, of course, but also her stubbornness, her selflessness, and her blushing cheeks. Her intellect was already superior to mine but sometimes she still acted like any other teenage girl. I still felt just a strong brotherly love for her. Everyone understood that my imprinting on Nessie the day she was born would mean someday my feelings for her would be romantic. But none of us knew when that would happen. Right now I still just saw her as a little sister and a best friend. This was what I was trying to convince Edward of right now. He was sitting at his piano pinching the bridge of his nose. That was never a good sign.

A few minutes ago we had all been sitting quietly on the sofas watching the nightly news. Emmett was making obnoxious comments and Blondie was shushing him. Bella was watching Edward play and the others were focused on the television. Nessie was sitting next to me holding my hand. This wasn't unusual; we held hands and hugged all the time. She had just squeezed my hand and smiled at me when Alice gasped and abruptly whipped her head over to Edward. I'm assuming he saw whatever vision appeared in her head because he stopped playing the piano with a loud bang of the keys and groaned, covering his face with his hands. Nessie quickly pulled her hand away from mine and her cheeks blushed a deep scarlet. So I put two and two together and figured I was about to get another lecture pertaining to something I couldn't control. Edward didn't get angry very often but when he did it was undoubtedly going to involve Nessie and me.

_Edward, I'm getting impatient. I want to know what Alice saw. Why don't we just go outside to talk?_

He nodded his head very softly and stood.

"Where are you going?" Nessie asked me.

"I just need some air. Your dad and I are gonna go outside. It's okay. We'll be right back." I gave her a reassuring smile and followed Edward to the front door.

Edward ran halfway to the cottage before turning around to face me. I was getting really fed up with the secrecy. Whatever Nessie had thought of or decided to do that made Alice see a disturbing vision, I could handle it. He sighed and shook his head.

"She's curious about your relationship with her, Jacob. She's been thinking about imprinting a lot lately and has a lot of questions. I think we need to talk to her." He looked at the ground. I didn't understand what the problem was. To me this was good news. I hated keeping her in the dark when I knew she wanted to understand. After Nessie was born Bella, Edward, and I decided that we wouldn't hide the fact that I had imprinted on her; but we also wouldn't go into details about what that meant for as long as possible. Six years was longer than I'd thought we'd last before she demanded to know the part of the story we always left out. So why the big deal in the house then?

_What did Alice see? _I demanded in my head. Edward groaned again. I could tell this was hard for him but I still hadn't been told what was going on.

"Of course this is hard for me. It's bad enough hearing Emmett and Rosalie's thoughts on the subject but this is my daughter! Most parents have at least 15 years before having to deal with these sorts of issues." _What issues? _What is he talking about? "Renesmee has started having _sexual_ feelings for you, dog." Oh. OH. He continued before I could form a more coherent thought. "She's noticing boys now. It's only natural that you be included in that mix. She's confused as to how you feel about her; about how imprinting affects your feelings for her. Alice saw a vision of Nessie confronting you about it." Edward closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "_Seduce_ might be a better word for what she's planning." What? I wasn't ready for this. I always assumed I'd be the one to bring it up once I finally got the green light from Edward. I never expected Nessie to be more eager than me. I didn't even feel that way about her yet. I didn't know how long it would be before I did. The only other pack member to imprint on a child was Quil and he still had nine years to wait before Claire was at the developmental stage Nessie was now. I felt pressure in my chest and my heart was racing.

"You have to let me talk to her" I said before I even knew what my strategy would be. I only had one chance to explain this to her. I couldn't bear to hurt her or make her feel that I was rejecting her. I was being pulled in so many different directions. I wanted our romantic relationship to evolve slowly as she became more mature. Edward and Bella wanted us to remain plutonic for a few more years, and apparently Nessie wanted to jump my bones. Edward hissed at that last part. I would need a little time to figure out what I wanted to say to her.

"I agree that you should be the one to explain imprinting to Nessie. Bella and I have always agreed to let you explain how it works since neither of us fully understands. And you're right that we want you to continue to wait to court her. She may look seventeen but she is still my little six year old."

Something occurred to me. "You said she's starting to notice boys… plural. Does she have a crush on a boy at school?" I was suddenly panic stricken. What if someone else stepped in while I waited for my dumb ass to start thinking of her in a romantic way? I don't think I could handle my competition being any of those hormonal teenage boys at her school. Not to mention the possibility that she would choose one of them over me. Sure I knew she loved me and found me attractive. Alice's vision had confirmed that much. If I didn't approach this conversation with her in the right way I could find myself benched for one of those other buffoons. I couldn't bear being second choice to the girl I loved. Not again. I was sick just thinking about it. Edward shot me a sympathetic glance. "There's no one else she thinks about as much as you. She thinks a boy named Kyle is cute but has never talked to him. That's all." I sighed, feeling a little relieved. I couldn't wait to phase and get the hell out of there. I had a lot to think about.

"Can you tell Nessie I had to go home for a while but I'll be back tonight? I'll take her to the beach and explain everything." Edward nodded and headed back towards the house. I ran further into the woods not even bothering to strip off my clothes before phasing into my other self and disappearing into the brush.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Discussion

I returned to my house around dinnertime. I didn't feel like eating as a wolf tonight. I often hunted with Nessie but only ate with her because it made her happy. It also felt like less of a waste if the animal served as sustenance for two instead of just being drained of blood and tossed aside. Still, I much preferred my meat cooked and on a plate than covered in fur. I doubted my father had been wondering where I was. He had Rachel home now and the place felt a little crowded. Ever since Paul imprinted on my sister she hadn't so much as stepped foot off the res. That aggravated me to no end. She dropped out of school to be closer to him. She tried to play it off that Billy and I needed her but honestly we'd been just fine since she left for school. She and Paul were only a couple weeks away from their wedding so I wasn't complaining anymore. No one listened to me anyway. I'd miss her when they moved in together. It was nice having her back after all the time she'd been away.

I could smell meatloaf and corn on the cob. Talk about perfect timing. I trotted up to my bedroom window and phased back before jumping through. I threw on some clothes and headed straight for the kitchen. I ate with Rachel and Billy and was just finishing up the dishes when the phone rang.

"Hello."

"Jacob, where have you been?" Nessie asked with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"I had to check in with Sam is all. Didn't Edward tell you I'd be back to pick you up later?"

"Yes. I was worried you didn't want to see me though, after talking to daddy about Alice's vision."

"I always want to see you, honey. I'm on my way now, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

I grabbed my keys to the Rabbit and headed back to the Cullen's house. Nessie was waiting for me on the front porch wearing capri shorts and an olive green long sleeved tee. I always told her how good she looked in green. She bounded to my car with a big grin on her face before I even shut off the engine. She didn't look nervous at all now. Maybe Edward hadn't told her I that I planned on having a talk with her tonight? Edward walked by the living room window then and shook his head answering my question. God, he was annoying. He smirked at me and kept on walking. We pulled out of the drive and headed back to La Push.

Once we reached the beach I took Nessie's hand and we started to walk down to the water. The sun had set and we could see the moonlight dancing off the water. I started wondering if I was setting her up for disappointment with this romantic stroll on the beach under millions of stars… God, I was going to royally screw this up. We sat down in the sand and watched the gentle waves wash up on the sand. I took a deep breath and turned to face her.

"Ness, I want to apologize for running out this afternoon. Your dad and I had a discussion after that awkward moment in the house and I just needed some time to think." I paused to gauge her reaction. She looked nervous now. She pulled her hand back from mine and wrapped both arms around her knees just like Bella used to do when she was human. The resemblance made me smile.

"I'm sorry about making you uncomfortable, Jacob. It was just something I was considering and Aunt Alice overreacted. She relies far too much on her gift. Her and daddy, both. You're my best friend and I didn't mean to make things weird between us." She pouted her lips and looked down at her feet. I took her chin in my hand and lifted it up so our eyes met again.

"Honey, I'm glad it happened because Edward finally agreed to let me explain imprinting to you. We both think it's time to be completely honest with you." Her eyes expressed her shock and her cheeks flushed a little but she didn't say anything. She waited for me to continue.

"Okay, well, you know how Sam imprinted on Emily and Quil imprinted on Claire, right? Well, see it was the same for both couples but also different because of Claire's age. She was only two when Quil imprinted. So, for Sam and Emily it was kind of a 'love at first sight' sort of situation. They were both adults at the time and they started dating and now they are married. For Quil, he didn't fall 'in love' with Claire exactly. He felt the imprint when it happened but his feelings for Claire are more of a protector or a big brother. When Claire grows up Quil will develop romantic feelings for her, and if she chooses to love him back, they will probably get married. Do you understand the difference?"

"Yes... I know when you imprint it's like finding your soul mate."

"Yes exactly. Your whole world changes instantly and everything revolves around the other person, like an overpowering gravitational pull. That doesn't scare you? That… that you're my _soul mate_?" I fidgeted, waiting for her response.

"No. I guess I assumed it had to mean something different for us because I'm not even fully human let alone Quiluette. I mean, the wolf pack exists to protect against vampires, right? You're the Alpha wolf and I'm half vampire for goodness sake. I doubt imprinting would match us up for all eternity." She laughed like it was absurd. Maybe it was. I never thought of it that way before. Pack members have imprinted on pale-faces before so it wasn't inconceivable. I reminded her about Seth.

"Sarah isn't Quiluette but Seth still imprinted on her. So, you thought my imprint on you was purely a 'friends for life' kind of arrangement since we are so different genetically?" She nodded her head and I detected a hint of sadness about that conclusion.

"Ness, I don't know if this will make you happy or more upset but it's not any different for us. At least not for me it isn't. I felt the same draw to you the day you were born that Quil and Sam felt for their imprints. I'm going to develop romantic feelings for you just like Quil will for Claire. I don't know when since you've grown so quickly. But I feel it. I know it's happening, for me at least." I looked out at the water waiting for a response. When she didn't say anything for over a minute I turned to look at her. She was beaming. She took my hand back in hers.

"So what does this mean for us?" she asked me still grinning ear to ear. Oh, boy.

"It just means we are friends for now. And sometime soon, only if you want to of course, I'd like to maybe take you out on a date. Your mom and dad want us to wait a while longer. And I agree with them that we aren't ready. I just know that you are the most important thing in the world to me, Nessie, and I want you to know that I'm looking forward to that part of our relationship. Whenever it happens."

"Why can't it be now? I mean, I have feelings for you so what's the point in waiting?" She looked so vulnerable in the moonlight, her long hair blowing in the wind. Her petite hands were shaking from the nerves. She had just told me what I'd been hoping to hear for six years.

"I love you Renesmee, and you are becoming a very beautiful girl, but I don't… I'm not attracted to you like that just yet. I want to be… I will be… it just hasn't happened yet. I don't know why. I get crazy jealous when I think of boys at your school getting your attention, but I just don't feel like it's the right time for us yet. You're still like my sister." Her eyes started to tear up and by the time I spat out the word "sister" my sweet Nessie lost control and warm tears spilled over onto her rosy cheeks. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. It killed me to make her cry. I hated the sound of her soft little whimpers knowing I was the cause of her pain. It made me want to cry too.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like a fool." She wiped her tears away and curled her knees back up to her chest. "There's nothing wrong with you, honey" I pleaded. "I've been waiting for this moment for six years. I am the one ruining it. I never expected you to feel this way before I did." I sighed not knowing what else to say. The wind was picking up and I smelled the rain coming. I knew we had to get going soon or we'd get soaked. "Ness, will you still come with me to Rachel and Paul's wedding? I'll understand if you don't want to, but I'm hoping tonight won't make things weird between us. I can't stand being away from you for too long." I held my breath, afraid of what she might say.

"Of course I'm coming. Alice already bought my dress" she replied with a half smile. I comforted her a while longer and then drove her home. She had fresh tears in her eyes as she got out of my car and whispered goodnight. I hated myself for getting her hopes up like that and then turning her down. How else was I supposed to say it? _Well, you see Ness someday you will be like my Emily, but for now you are like my Claire?_ I knew it was too soon. I'd never once thought of her sexually. Of course, I never tried either because if I had Edward would have ripped me to pieces! What a mess. For a minute I envied Quil. He still had loads of time to figure out what to say to Claire.

I got home a little after ten and went straight to my room. I was still playing our conversation over and over in my head trying to think of an easier way I could have told Nessie how I felt. There's just no way to tell a seventeen year old girl that you aren't attracted to her! The worst part was I didn't know why I wasn't. She certainly looked like a young woman. Her body looked like a woman's, it was developed and curvy. Her voice had changed a lot recently and now sounded like music. Maybe it was my brain. What if my brain knew I imprinted on an infant and somehow set a mental alarm clock that wouldn't go off for 18 years? Maybe I was just deranged. I lay down in my too small bed and stared at the water mark on the ceiling. I wanted to make Nessie's pain go away. I wanted to be able to give her what she needed from me. Wasn't that the whole point of imprinting? To be whatever it was that the woman needed? Claire needed a big brother. Emily needed a husband. Rachel needed- Lord only knows what it was Rachel needed that made Paul her perfect mate. I was the one person in the world who could be everything Nessie would ever need. But somehow I wasn't. For the first time in her life I was failing her. She apparently didn't need just a friend anymore. She needed a boyfriend, her first love. I was suddenly determined to be that for her.

I closed my eyes and started rubbing myself. This was not something I routinely did. Sure, sometimes I just needed the physical release but afterwards it always felt wrong and unnecessary. My soul mate hadn't needed a lover, so why spend so much time engaging solo in an activity that did her no good? I obviously couldn't think about Nessie while I did it and thinking about any other girl just felt like a betrayal. I suppose it was the same reason neither Quil or I had given any serious thought to dating other women while our imprints were growing up. We simply didn't have the desire to do it. Tonight was different. I was determined to make my stupid brain click into boyfriend mode. As I started feeling hard I unbuttoned my jeans and slid my hand inside forcing the zipper down. I started thinking about my Nessie in the blue sundress she had worn the weekend before. The neckline was a little lower than she normally wore. Maybe Alice had picked it out. I thought about how the fabric had clung to her breasts and stomach and hung delicately from her trim waist. I pulled myself from the confines of my boxer shorts and began thrusting slowly. Squeezing my eyes tightly I tried to imagine Nessie laying next to me kissing my neck, running her soft hands across my chest, what it would feel like to touch her breasts. I stopped what I was doing and my eyes popped open. I felt like a sick twisted freak. Nessie's breasts? Good God, I had never allowed myself to think of her in this way. I was there the day she noticed her budding breasts under her shirt. She blushed the deepest red I'd ever seen in her cheeks and ran straight to Bella. Edward and I had waited downstairs like the two biggest cowards in the world. At least I just had to focus on not listening to their conversation. Poor Edward was trying like hell not to hear Nessie's thoughts and not see the images of what she saw in her mind. Emmett found that hilarious. Payback he called it. Lucky for Edward, Bella used her freaky shield power to block Nessie's thoughts the rest of that day. I watched her tiny nubs grow over just a few weeks to become the perfect mounds they were today. The soft, round, heaving masses I had pictured myself fondling just now. I felt slightly nauseous.

My body was all worked up now so I reached for a Victoria Secret catalog I had stashed under my mattress. I took a deep breath and focused on one of the young ladies in the magazine who I had _not _played hide and seek with a thousand times. I stroked myself harder and my breathing became uneven. I tried to force my mind back to Nessie. Perhaps just her face. Smiling at me while her skin slightly sparkled in the sunlight. Her large chocolate eyes looking at me lovingly. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as I moaned under my breath and stumbled into my release. My thoughts bounced back and forth from Nessie to the lingerie model. I'd have to be very careful not to think about this next time I was around Edward. No wonder I was so screwed up. That leech purposely listened to my every thought just waiting for the first inappropriate one about his daughter to pass through! I cleaned myself up and rolled over to try to get comfortable. I'd be running patrol the next few nights and really needed to get some rest. Somewhere between thoughts of the underwear models and Nessie in a training bra I finally drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Movie Night

It felt like a long week. I'd had six different cars to work on which was a lot for me. I could handle the repairs no sweat and I should have been happy for the income but it meant less time with Nessie. I'd been doing fairly well for myself since I started working on the cars in my makeshift garage. I'd added an extra bay and could now take two at a time. Embry and I were planning to open our own garage once we had the start up money. He would handle the books and I'd do most of the repairs. I was looking forward to going into business with my friend. It was also a big plus to be able to make our own schedules. Running patrol was a lot harder for some of the other guys' whose bosses couldn't know they were werewolves in their spare time. For now I was still living with Billy and saving as much money as possible. I wanted to be able to adequately provide for Nessie when the time came. Apparently I was running out of time to make something of myself. Billy joked that I'd overstayed my welcome in our family's home but I knew he was dreading the day I moved out. It was hard on him to lose Rebecca and Rachel at the same time so soon after our mother died. Having Rachel back had made us feel more like a family again and I knew Billy was going to miss her living with us after her wedding. Rebecca would be flying in from Hawaii for the big day so I kept reminding him that he'd have all three of us getting in his way again and he'll be begging for some peace and quiet.

I called Ness on Wednesday to see how her week was going. She acted a little shy on the phone that night. She told me about a Biology test she had taken and some gossip from the other girls about a new boy in their class. That part bothered me but she didn't pick up on my apprehension. She enjoyed attending Forks High School because it gave her something to do outside the Cullen's house. Everyone agreed it was time for her to go to school when she started looking about 15 years old. Until then she had to stay near the house so no one in town would notice her growth spurts. The fortune teller took her into Seattle and Port Angeles a lot, but like her mother, Nessie wasn't very interested in shopping. She had a few friends and would often spend time with them after school. She had a much easier time blending in since she could eat human food, her skin was warm, and she wasn't forced indoors whenever the sun peaked out from the clouds. She enjoyed watching school football games and studying with her friends. Edward insisted she get social interaction from more than just the wolves so the weekends became our only time to be together. I usually picked her up Friday night and we'd go out for her favorite meal, mountain lion. Friday nights she spent at my house watching movies or assisting me in pulling elaborate pranks on Paul.

It wasn't easy for me when Paul imprinted on my sister. For a while we'd just punch each other in the nose whenever we got on each others' nerves. The guy was at my house constantly. Rachel put her foot down after so many broken noses that Paul started developing a permanent crook. After that we settled on one-upping each other with childish pranks. About a year ago I was on patrol with Quil and Sam. Paul took the opportunity to get back at me for the Lost Dog posters with his description on them that I'd put up outside Embry's parents' store the week before. Only the guys in the pack understood the inside joke but it still made him really angry. So while I was out patrolling that night Paul phased to tell me I needed to get back to Billy's quick because something was wrong with Rachel. Little did I know he'd snuck into my bedroom and replaced all my sweatpants with lacey panties. I would have actually found it amusing if Nessie hadn't been sleeping over that night. I had phased back and jumped into my window naked while Ness slept in my bed. I hurried to my drawers to grab my pants hoping not to wake her up. So when I pulled out nothing but silky lingerie and g-strings I cursed out Paul so loud it woke her up. She got a quick glimpse of my rear end before I managed to run out of my room, down the hall past Rachel and Paul, and into Billy's room. Ness had achieved about a twelve year olds' maturity at the time and was more embarrassed by the stunt than I was. Also, Edward did not find it funny when I took Nessie home the next day and had to explain why his daughter couldn't stop thinking about full moons.

Wednesday, I promised Nessie I'd be at the house Friday night as usual and we could do whatever she wanted. She asked me to bring some movies and snacks which I agreed was a great idea. Finally it was Friday and I loaded up on junk food and some comedies I knew she hadn't seen and drove over to the Cullen's house. Bella greeted me at the door and invited me sit with the girls on the sofas.

"Edward's teaching Renesmee how to make Spanish omelets" she informed me. Just then Nessie came running out from the kitchen and gave me a big hug. "Hey Jake." "Hey, hun." I kissed the top of her head. She let go of me and smiled. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Daddy and I are almost done." No matter what was happening or how crappy a day I might have had one smile from that girl and everything was instantly better. "Okay" I said "But you better share with me. They smell amazing." She made a face at me and ran back into the kitchen.

Bella motioned her head for me to follow her so we stepped outside to the porch. Usually it was Edward who had these little talks with me. What had I done now?

"Jacob, I just wanted to let you know that Nessie was really upset after your little talk the other day..." She kept her voice real low. Had there been any humans around they would have thought we'd just been staring at each other moving our lips. "I know, Bells, I didn't know what to tell her. How bad was it?" I whispered back running my hand nervously through my hair. "It's okay, Jake. I wanted to let you know I had a talk with her and she's much better now. I convinced her to just enjoy having a crush on you for now because when you do fall in love with her it will be strong, intense, and forever. None of her friends at school have serious boyfriends and she sees that she fits in with them better the way things are now." I hadn't thought of it like that. Once we got together there really would be no turning back. "So she's happy?" Bella nodded her head and smiled. "Yes. And for the record, you two have my blessing. I know Edward will fight this to the end but honestly, there's no one we'd rather see her with than you Jake. I mean it." "Thank you, Bells." I hugged her despite the vampire stink. We went back inside so Nessie wouldn't notice our absence.

"So Blondie, I picked up some movies in your honor. What do you want to watch first, 'Legally Blonde' or 'Dick.'?" Rose gave me the finger. I heard Edward chuckle from the kitchen. I must say, the blonde vamp had started to grow on me over the years. I still hated her of course, but it was closer to the type of relationship I had with Paul. The one thing we had in common was our desire to dote on Nessie and spoil her rotten. "I figured you were bringing over 'Cujo'" she spat back. "Are you two ever going to get over this sibling rivalry?" asked Bella. I stuck my tongue out at the both of them and slumped into the nearest chair.

Nessie and I ate the omelets at the coffee table while the rest of the family watched television. Then we grabbed my bag of movies and went upstairs to Edward's old room where there was now a big screen TV and blue ray player. I was grateful when they moved that wrought iron bed out of the room. I may not have romantic feelings for Bella anymore but that bed still gave me the creeps. And this was Nessie's favorite room of the house so it was nice not having it in the way anymore. We sprawled out onto the floor and started sifting through the movies. She picked one she wanted to watch and popped it into the player. I went over to lie on the leather couch and Ness came to snuggle up against me. I was still worried she might feel awkward around me but she really did seem to be her old self again.

"Are you guys planning a bachelor party for Paul?" she asked after the first movie ended.

"Yeah, Sam is setting something up. We're probably going to play poker and have a few beers. No strippers." I could only guess as to why she was asking. "Oh." I felt the warmth rushing to her cheeks. "Renesmee, are you blushing?" I teased. "Nooo" she crooned back at me. She knew I could tell she was despite the lights being off in the room. I tickled her ribs a little and then hugged her closer. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious" she answered. I changed the subject. "So are we watching another movie then?"

She agreed and we put on the only romantic comedy I brought. About halfway through I must have fallen asleep because I was awoken to a sofa cushion whacking me in the head. "Hey" I yelled out. She only giggled and did it again. "You fell asleep at the best part" she complained. "Excuse me if it's past my bedtime and you've got me watching a Sarah Jessica Parker movie."

"What's wrong with her?" Nessie challenged.

"Nothing except there's very little to hold my interests. No car chases, no explosions, and no beautiful women" I counted out on my fingers. "You don't think she's attractive?" I laughed. "Nessie, she doesn't hold a candle to you." She smiled at me and leaned a little closer to me. I suddenly felt like I had said something wrong. How had she interpreted that comment? Crap. What have I done? She leaned in a little closer before her smile became a wide grin. She pulled back swiftly and clobbered me with the cushion again. I jumped up and declared war. "Oh, you are going to get it, Nessie." She laughed and took a defensive pose on the sofa. I raised my hands up so she could see my fingers wiggling. I pounced at her as she squealed and held her down on the sofa tickling her ribs and stomach. She cried out for a truce and I swiped the cushion away from her just in case she got any funny ideas. I heard Edward clear his throat from downstairs. "I better get home, it's getting late" I said after our breathing had returned to normal. "But we always have a sleepover on Friday nights" she protested. "I know, but we're usually at my house. I don't want Edward listening to my dreams all night. I'll come back first thing tomorrow." "He's gonna go back to the cottage with Mom, he won't be listening to you… trust me." Gross. "Fine, ask him if it's okay though." She called down to Edward and Bella even though I knew they heard every word we just said. Bella called back up to us. "It's fine Renesmee, just leave the door open." Nessie clapped her hands and went to retrieve some blankets and pillows from Alice's closet so we could lay them out on the floor. We started another movie and before the opening credits were over Nessie was asleep in my arms. I watched her face as she slept for an immeasurable amount of time. I could lay here with her forever. Soon enough I fell asleep too, perfectly content lying next to my girl.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Wedding

"Paul, get your ass out of bed right now or you're going to miss your own wedding!" I ripped the blankets off my friend and started smacking his feet. "Rachel sent me over here to make sure you were putting your tux on correctly. The shower is running. Get in there now before I call Rachel and tell her what a pathetic sight you are." Honestly, Sam should have known better than to plan Paul's bachelor party the night before the wedding. We were up half the night drinking and carrying on down at the lodge. I finally got Paul coherent enough to shower and dress. The other groomsmen arrived shortly after and we ate some of the food Emily had sent me over with. I was anxious to get to the church for many reasons. One, it was my job to make sure Paul was on time and I didn't want to cross my sister today. And two, I wanted to see Nessie. I'd missed our usual Friday night ritual this week because of Paul's party so it had been almost a week since I'd seen her. We talked on the phone every night but hearing her sweet voice only made me miss her more.

We arrived at the church with only a few minutes to spare. The other guys and I waited up front with Paul. I found it amusing that despite the imprinting Paul was still nervous about getting married. I wondered if I'd feel the same way when it was my turn. Jared, Sam, and I were groomsmen. We ushered the wedding guests to their seats as everyone started filtering into the church. I kept my eyes open for Nessie and the other Cullen's. I still hadn't seen them come in when the music started. I hurried back to the front of the church and lined up next to Jared. My father escorted Rachel down the aisle. Seeing her look so elegant in mom's wedding dress and veil I started getting choked up. For a moment I let myself think about how much I missed our mother and how she would have loved to have seen this. After the ceremony everyone headed to the only hotel on the reservation for the reception. It was then I finally felt relieved of my brother of the bride duties and went to find Nessie. Only Edward, Bella, Nessie, and Alice stayed for the dinner and dancing. Since they weren't eating I saw Edward had already pulled Bella out onto the dance floor. They actually looked very graceful together. Bella's change had done wonders for her left feet. Finally, I spotted Nessie over by the guestbook. She was writing a message for the happy couple when I came up behind her and placed my hand on her shoulder. She whirled around, surprised by my sudden appearance. She giggled and her right hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"Sorry I scared you" I said amused by her reaction. "You look breathtaking Ness, absolutely gorgeous." She really did. Alice had outdone herself. The deep blue dress showed off her curves elegantly and revealed just a hint of cleavage. She looked very grownup with her hair pulled up leaving only a few strands of curly bronze hair framing her face. She was wearing the necklace I gave her on her 4th birthday. Maybe she had grown more in the last week but she truly looked like a woman tonight.

"Thank you" she said blushing and looking down to the floor. "Rachel and Paul look so happy" she commented pointing towards the front of the room. They were just making their entrance and everyone applauded. We made our way to the Cullen's table and I sat with Nessie and Alice for a while. After the wedding party dances were over and dinner was served I asked Nessie if she wanted to dance with me. She agreed and we made our way to the dance floor. I took one of her hands in mine and placed my other on her hip. Her scent was exceptionally sweet tonight. I leaned in as if to whisper in her ear and breathed in deep. I looked back at the tables and saw Edward rolling his eyes at me. Bella had a big grin on her face. Great, now Edward turned his head to look at Bella and she tried to quickly wipe the smile off her face. The two of them were going to drive me crazy.

"Did you just smell me, Jake?" she asked curiously. "Ha, yes. Sorry. You smell really good today on top of being so beautiful it hurts" I admitted. She looked pleased. I pulled her a little closer and twirled her around. She laughed and buried her head in my chest, resting her cheek against me. She tilted her head back and whispered something in my ear so softly I barely heard it. Maybe she was hoping her parents wouldn't hear. It sounded like "you look really hot in this tux, Jacob." I felt a fluttering in my stomach. That was weird. I ate all my dinner... and Bella's dinner… and most of Edwards. What was that pounding noise? Was it Nessie's heart? No, I heard hers, it was fast but not like this. Boom! Boom! Boom! I heard again. Oh my God, that was my heart. I felt like it was beating out of my chest! Ness must have felt it too. She pulled back a little to look into my eyes. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to compliment you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She looked over my shoulder afraid to continue any eye contact with me. I was relieved she looked away. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't uncomfortable, I was speechless. Suddenly I could feel every inch of her that was touching me. Her fingers entwined with mine, her chest pressed up against me, the skirt of her dress brushing my thigh as we swayed to the music, her soft curls against my face, her shallow breathing in my ear. Oh crap. I was getting aroused! Double crap, Edward heard that and shot me a look like I'd never seen before. All the minds in this room and he still managed to pick up on that one thought. His brain must be tuned to me like radar. In three short strides he had crossed the room and was staring me down like he'd just caught me drowning a litter of puppies.

"Nessie, your Aunt Alice would like to take some pictures with you. Why don't you go find her? Now." Nessie looked confused but knew her father well enough not to ask questions. She hurried away to where Bella was standing who whisked her away from our sight. "Outside" he said. "Edward, calm down. I wasn't going to do anything." "Outside, dog." Okay, maybe it was best to just do as he asked. Edward followed me out the side door where we were sure to be alone. I took ten paces and turned to face my one man firing squad.

"You feel it now." It wasn't a question but I nodded. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. I couldn't believe it myself. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. Bella, Alice, and I are going home. You will bring Renesmee home after the party. No stopping at your house, no walking on the beach. She WILL be home by midnight. Do you understand?" I couldn't speak. This is not exactly the reaction I anticipated. No shouting? No lecture? "This is what we agreed to, Jacob. She's almost an adult. She wants to be with you. I trust you're smart enough to respect my rules. You know I'll know if you break them." I nodded. "Yes, nothing more than kissing. No sex of any kind until we're married. I remember." I looked at the ground. Technically Edward was six years younger than I was now but he still made me feel like a child when we were discussing Nessie.

"Very well. I need to leave. I don't think I could bear to be within ear shot when you tell her about this new development. It will be bad enough trying to block out her thoughts when she returns to the house. I don't need to catch the live show too. I'll go get Bella so we can give our congratulations to Rachel and Paul."

He walked back inside and let the door close behind him. I leaned my head against the brick wall of the building and let the light drizzle of rain hit the back of my neck. I needed a moment to think. I don't know how long of a moment I took but I was startled when the hotel door opened again.

"Renesmee" I exclaimed when she stepped out into the alley. Her expression was a combination of confusion and fear. "What are you doing out here?" I didn't know what to say. Was this how I wanted to do this? In an alley? In the rain? At my sister's wedding? I needed to think of a better place where we could be alone. I promised Edward I wouldn't take her to my empty house or to the secluded beach. Didn't he realize where we were? The reception was in a hotel for goodness sakes! An entire building filled with beds! "I'm fine, Nessie. Better than fine. Come on, let's go back inside." I gave her a weak smile and took her hand in mine. We made our way through the crowd of people on the dance floor and out the main entrance to the lobby. Of course! The hotel had a small restaurant in the lobby. It was perfect.

"Will you come talk to me over here?" I gestured to the tables of the restaurant. All the lights were out for the night but I knew neither of us had trouble seeing in the dark. "Sure, but you're starting to scare me, Jake. What's going on?"

I sat her down in one of the wooden chairs and pulled up another so I was facing her. I took her hands in mine and rubbed circles into her soft skin with my thumbs. "Renesmee, when I saw you tonight dressed up so elegantly, I suddenly saw you in another- No, when we were dancing and you were so close to me I finally saw just how breathtakingly beautiful you are and I wanted very much to hold you like that forever. When you whispered in my ear I had to fight back the urge to kiss you, because you truly are amazing and I can't believe it took me so long to realize. Do you understand what I'm saying, Nessie?" My stomach was tied in knots. I didn't even understand what I had just said. I prayed for the ground beneath my feet to open up and swallow me whole.

"Are you saying you've changed your mind? About us not being ready?" Her heartbeat was accelerating and I saw a pinkish hue start to fill her face.

"Yes, hun." I smiled in relief at her words. "Can you forgive me for being so blind until now?" She smiled at me and nodded. A single tear fell from her eye. "Nessie, please tell me what you're thinking about all this. What do you want? I don't know what we're supposed to do now." She pulled her right hand from my grasp and placed it on my cheek. She used her unique gift to flood my mind with images from her life. She showed me the first time I held her on the day she was born, us hunting together when she was mere months old, watching me work on cars in my garage, falling asleep in my arms after watching countless movies, her lustful thoughts of me when she'd seen me without my shirt on, and most recently her nightly dreams of us being together. She took a deep breath and spoke to me through her vision. _This is what I'm thinking of right now._ I saw myself in her mind, slowly leaning closer to her and wrapping my arms around her tightly, kissing her passionately. She was showing me what she wanted.

"Oh, Nessie. Yes, sweetheart. Yes." I pulled her closer to me and inched my lips closer to hers. She parted them slightly in anticipation. I saw her eyes close and she sucked in a deep breath. When our lips met it was as if a piece of me that had long been missing was finally returned. She tasted sweeter than I could have ever dreamed and her lips were softer than silk. I pressed myself eagerly to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She kept her hand on my cheek and continued passing her thoughts to me. It was mind-blowing to see her feelings and desires for me escalate with each moment that passed. After what seemed like forever she took her gift away from me and moved her hands to the back of my head grasping at the roots of my hair. I allowed my hands to run up and down her back as I continued to massage her lips with mine. She broke the kiss to gasp for air and then softly whispered my name. I felt a new surge of electricity race through me and I attacked her neck with my mouth. I strung a line of kisses from her ear down to her shoulder and back up to her jaw line. She frantically searched for my lips and we connected again in a passionate kiss. Her warm breath against my face was exciting my senses. I moaned into her mouth when her hands wandered from the back of my head down to my chest."Your heart is beating so fast" she muttered against my lips. I kissed her again and then leaned my forehead against hers. "It's because you're so damn sexy, Ness" I replied under my breath. She grinned and brought her hands up to cradle my face. "I could say the same about you." I groaned and kissed her gently on the mouth. I pulled away slightly to gaze into her eyes, waiting patiently for my body to settle down.

It was exhilarating to finally kiss Nessie that way. Over the past few years I'd wondered how the transition from friend to lover would feel. I'd expected fear, awkwardness, and maybe some second thoughts. It was to my extreme delight that I felt none of those emotions when I was with her in those moments. I could see our future for the first time in her short life. I'd been so preoccupied with getting to this moment I never paid attention to how wonderful the prospects of forever would look. I was ready to start imagining our life together now that this moment had transpired so fluidly. My overconfident ego about our new relationship was quickly cut down to size.

As the realization of what had just happened sunk in Nessie broke my blissful trance. "I feel silly" she blurted out. She covered her face in her hands. "We just kissed! You've been my best friend, more like my sibling, since I was born." She must have seen the horror wash across my face because she blushed a deep red and quickly tried to clarify her words before I could speak. "I just mean you've watched me grow up… all the embarrassing things I've done and said when I was younger are just racing through my mind right now and I feel so exposed. I don't know how else to explain it." I didn't know what to say, but she wasn't ready for me to respond anyway. "Oh God, you were there when I walked in on Rose and Emmett to ask them to keep the noise down because I couldn't hear Sesame Street over all their moaning. You watched me playing dress up with Alice. You saw me hunt for the first time when I was covered in blood from head to toe. You watched Daddy try to explain to me where babies come from. I mean… just every stage of my life since I was a baby. Oh my God… you probably changed my diapers, didn't you! Don't you think that's twisted?"

Now I was blushing. Of course I'd changed her diapers. Blondie and I fought over who got to feed her, change her, and rock her to sleep. It felt perfectly natural at the time. I never once looked at her undiapered bottom thinking someday I wouldn't have to share it with Rosalie! I didn't know what to say to comfort her- to make her understand why all of those things she found embarrassing actually made us stronger. Somehow I knew it did. She went off on another tirade.

"I started having thoughts about you a while ago- romantic ones. I imagined what it would be like to be your girlfriend. I guess I just never realized that a relationship with you would naturally be built on the one we've had up to this point. There's no clean slate for us romantically. You know everything about me." I reveled in the honesty of her words. I understood what she meant about knowing every part of one another. I'd done some embarrassing things myself. Maybe that would give her the perspective she needed.

I took her hands in mine and gently squeezed them. "Renesmee." I said her name reassuringly. "All of those things you mentioned, that is what makes our bond so special. I love that I have known you since the day you were born. I have cherished you since the moment I laid eyes on you and I would have been devastated to have missed a single day of your life. The best relationships in this world are developed on a foundation of friendship. We are a stronger couple for having had the past six years together." I could see her face was starting to ease up and I could almost detect a smile emerging. Now I was going out on a limb. "You're not the only who's done some silly things. Will your feelings for me change after I remind you about the time I tried to cook my own meal in your house and set off all the smoke detectors? Or when Blondie served me food in a dog bowl and I ate it anyway? Or the countless times Edward's read my thoughts and decided to share it with everyone just to embarrass me?" How do those memories affect your new feelings for me?" I nervously waited for her response. She squeezed my hands and let out a soft sigh.

"Maybe you're right, Jake" she giggled. "All those things make me love you even more." I started to relax. Her big chocolate brown eyes were gazing at me so lovingly that I felt a need to kiss her beginning to stir inside of me. "Yeah?" I confirmed. "Do they make you want to kiss me again?"

"Hmm, maybe" she teased grinning from ear to ear. I leaned my forehead against hers.

"What about the time Paul stole all my clothes and I ran through the house naked while he and my sister laughed at me?"

"Oh, I remember that… don't forget I was laughing at you too, Jake." She took my face in her warm hands caressing my cheekbones with her thumbs. "But you're right, that memory of your backside definitely makes me want to kiss you." I chuckled as she crushed her lips to mine wiping the smile clean off my face. I encircled her small frame in my arms and pulled her tightly against me. I felt the fire igniting under my skin wherever she touched me. I kissed her passionately on her lips, her delicate neck, and the indent below her ear. Nessie ran her fingers through my hair and slid her fingertips down the back of my neck and under the collar of my dress shirt. A tingle of pleasure shot down my spine at her touch.

I heard someone approaching behind me and my body fought against the separation from Nessie as I turned to see who was there. "Way to go, little brother!" my sister cheered a few feet behind me. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath enough to respond. "What do you want, Rachel?" I asked softly not able to tear my eyes away from the beautiful girl in front on me.

"I just wanted to say goodbye! Paul and I are about to leave and I had to find you" she explained. "I didn't mean to interrupt your moment" she added with a whisper. I smiled at Ness, knowing the softness of Rachel's voice didn't impair her ability to hear. I turned and stood up, towering over my older sister. "Have a good time sis, I'm so happy for you" I said, wrapping her in a big hug. "I'm happy for you too, you deserve this" she replied. I hunched over so she could kiss my cheek and then she smiled warmly at Nessie. "Enjoy the rest of the party, you two. I'll call you when we get to Mexico!" Rachel ran off to Paul's waiting arms. He waved goodbye to us and I tried very hard not to think of Paul on a honeymoon with my sister.

I turned back to Nessie and my body was aching to pick up where we left off before the interruption. Instead, I listened to my brain. "Come on, I better take you home before I get us both in trouble with your dad." She looked a little nervous. "He knew this would happen when he went home didn't he?" "Yes" I replied. "It'll be okay, hun. I just promised to have you home by midnight."

I drove Nessie straight home, holding her hand in the car. I was determined to earn Edward's trust, no matter how long that took. "Can I see you tomorrow?" I asked her once we reached the Cullen's garage. "I can't wait" she replied. She kissed me innocently on the mouth and went inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Residence

For what felt like a very long three years I was consumed by my own teenage angst. I was in love with a girl who loved me deeply, only it was never enough for either of us. My hormones ran rampant, and was simultaneously forced into the pack life by my ancestry and need to protect my people from the bloodsuckers.

All hope was lost of winning over the girl after she married and then hardly two months later I watched her practically die, naked and covered in blood, to give birth to a vampire baby and change into one of them herself. I thought the agony would consume me and stop my heart from beating while I listened to her heart gradually slow to its permanent stop. I was as surprised as any of those vamps to discover the mutant spawn my Bella delivered was actually the most beautiful creature to ever grace the Earth. She was the bond that held me to Bella after all reason had told me to move on. Suddenly, all the pain and suffering we'd both endured disappeared into thin air. A friendship pushed to the brink of disaster was completely repaired by the birth of Renesmee. Nessie, my imprint. I saw then how easy it was for Sam to instantly transfer his devotion from Leah to Emily. I'm not saying it wasn't messed up, what happened to the three of them, only that I understood it. How easy it was to break free from my unhealthy addiction to Bella. Luckily for me, Bella was only too happy to let me go. Her indescribable connection to me faded away as well. Now we were the friends- no, the family we were always meant to be.

These past six years have been the best of my life. I felt as though I was a jigsaw puzzle scattered on the floor in a thousand pieces, and that Nessie put me together into one complete piece. I was perfectly happy doting on her as a toddler, a pretty little girl, a whiney adolescent, and then a stunning young woman. Quil understood how I could feel complete and loved even though I was technically 22 years old, single, and agonizingly chaste. Embry, Paul, and Jared didn't understand how Quil and I weren't bothered by those circumstances. And they took every opportunity to taunt us about women and sex. Even though they had access to our thoughts while we were phased they never understood how we could physically disregard any pretty girl that showed us the slightest attention. Truthfully, it was difficult for me to be at the Cullen's house sometimes, what with everyone paired off into excruciatingly happy couples. It wasn't hard for me to see Bella and Edward together anymore. They were deliriously happy and it only sickened me the way it did to see Rachel and Paul cuddle and kiss. It bothered me slightly that the only woman I'd ever kissed was Bella. Unless you count my date to the eight grade dance on the res… and I didn't count that. Really what bothered me was feeling inexperienced for my age even though I technically wasn't aging. I didn't resent Nessie in the least, and most days I never thought about those troubles. I was excited to spend my free time with Nessie no matter what kind of silly kid stuff she wanted to do.

Now, the past three months have been a wonderfully confusing combination of those two earlier periods in my life. The incessant teenage hormones have swarmed my body and mind once again. This time it had almost more devastating an effect because I had a girlfriend eager for me to give in to my temptations. My inner demons taunted me with sexual thoughts day and night and I struggled constantly to satisfy Nessie and her parents. Edward had been more accepting of our relationship than I expected, but I supposed it was mostly due to my acute respect for his rules. That of course displeased Nessie. I wanted very much to express my romantic love for her more physically, but I always kept in mind her age. It was ironic how Bella and I had bantered back and forth over those early years about our chronological age compared to intellectual age. I think we agreed at some point that we were both in our thirties. I was more seriously struggling to pinpoint Nessie's and my ages these days. Nessie had technically been alive for six and a half years although she looked and acted about 17. Everyone from my pack agreed that once the phasing was complete a wolf's human body was that of a 25 year old's and my actual age was 22. Even if I took Nessie's intellectual age and my chronological age, we were still 5 years apart. She was attending Forks High school as a junior, and I was a full grown man who was born and raised in this town. Everyone knew how old I was. Nessie and my relationship had to remain innocent not only due to Edward's insistence but also because Nessie was what Paul liked to call "jail bait."

"My grandfather is chief of police and he adores you" Nessie said one night while tempting me towards second base. She was straddling me on the couch and showering me with perfect kisses. Billy was watching the Mariners game with Chief Swan and Ness and I were alone in my house. We were watching movies as per our usual Friday night routine. Our weekend rituals hadn't changed much since Rachel's wedding except for the fact that we often had the house to ourselves now and as a result never quite managed to keep our minds on actually watching the movies. "Oh, right… I forgot you're pretty tight with the police chief" I replied sarcastically. I grasped her wandering hands in mine and tightened my fingers around her wrists. "Maybe you can get him to lend you his handcuffs" I hinted suggestively with my eyebrows. She blushed. "That cold steel would be no match for my vampire strength, but I'd love to see you try to break free from them" she teased. Living in a houseful of vampires diluted her into thinking that her strength could in any way compare to mine. I needed to cut her down to size so I slid my hands up her arms to her shoulders and swung her over my hip landing her on her back against the couch cushions and quickly sliding on top of her. Holding her down with my body I proclaimed victory. "What were you saying about vampire powers, Renesmee?" She kissed me wrapping her arms securely around my back. "That we're incredibly strong…" Another kiss. "And cunning..." Another kiss. "Cause I have you right where I want you now." She tightened her grip on my back and I suddenly felt defeated. I buried my face in the crook of her neck to hide my embarrassed smile. She giggled as I assaulted her neck with my tongue and lips. Nessie let out a little moan and I felt my erection pressing against my jeans. She must have sensed it too because she bucked her hips up to make contact. Thankfully she was much shorter than me and my length was a good eight inches from her center. The last thing I needed was for those two body parts to make any kind of acquaintance even through the layers of our clothes.

I sat back on the couch and pulled her to a sitting position. I waited for our breathing to return to normal before I pulled her back into my arms to finish watching the movie. That night Nessie slept in my bed, as always, and I tossed and turned on the too small - and much too uncomfortable- couch fighting the urge to join her in my bed. My fantasies ran wild while she slept in between my sheets. The next morning Nessie made me breakfast. We hung around the house for a while and then I drove her home. I didn't want to worry her but I was eager to discuss something with Bella. I'd heard her and Alice talking about Idaho the day before. I'd never heard any of them mention that state before so I was concerned that they were planning a Cullen family relocation. I knew it was inevitable. They'd stayed in Forks longer than any other town. It was for Charlie's sake, not mine, I was sure. At least Esme had made it clear on multiple occasions that I'd be welcome to join them wherever they went next. Rosalie made it clear Esme didn't speak for the entire family. I tried not to give it a lot of thought over the past six years because I understood why they couldn't stay and also because I didn't want to have to start making plans to leave my family and pack. How would I leave the pack? Sam bowed out after Emily got pregnant a few years ago. Now they had two children and Sam had stopped phasing altogether. I was Alpha over twelve wolves. I suppose I'd have to choose one of them to replace me.

We walked into the house to find the living room empty. I couldn't smell Edward or Bella so they must still be at the cottage. Those two were insatiable. I swear they enjoyed Nessie's sleepovers at my dad's house more than Nessie and I did. I could smell the rest of them so they must be around somewhere. Just then Alice appeared at the top of the stairs and slid down the banister to greet us. She gave Nessie a big hug when she reached us.

"Where is everybody?" Nessie asked. "Your mom and dad aren't here yet and everyone else but Jasper and me just left to hunt. I thought I'd stay behind to see if you wanted to help me organize my closet. Rose and I went shopping yesterday and now nothing fits!" Ness rolled her eyes but agreed. She loved her aunt and always embraced her girlie side to please her. She turned to me for a hug and kiss goodbye.

"I'm going to stick around for a while, Ness. I wanna catch up with your mom when she gets here."

"Okay" Nessie said with a smile. "I'll see you in a little while." Alice grabbed her hand and towed her up the staircase towards Alice and Jasper's room. I got comfortable on the couch and tried to find something on television to entertain myself. I settled on Saturday morning cartoons. A quarter after eleven Bells and Edward strode into the house hand in hand and smiling. Gee, I wonder what they were up to all night.

Edward shot me a look but chose to conceal my observation from Bella and just greeted me politely.

"Good morning, Jacob" he said. "Good morning" I replied. "Hey Bells, wanna go for a walk with me in the woods? I wanna ask your opinion on some stuff." She looked surprised at my invitation. We still regularly bantered back and forth like old times but hardly ever were alone anymore. She looked at Edward seemingly asking him something in her mind. She did that all the time now, push her shield-thing off of her so Edward could read her mind. She'd gotten very good at it the past couple years but her poker face was still lacking. Everyone always knew when she was doing it. Edward smiled at her apparently giving her a "yes" answer. "Sure, Jake" she replied.

Bella and I followed the path leading to their cottage and then continued farther into the forest. We caught up on everyday things. She asked about Rachel and Paul, Billy, and the other pack members. I also told her how Charlie's been fairing. He did most of his complaining and questioning to Sue Clearwater so Seth overheard a lot. I updated Bella on his most recent difficulty with the "need to know" arrangement and that was Nessie's relationship with me. Charlie knew I could phase to a wolf form but I'd never explained the tribe's legends or imprinting to him. I told Bella about his concern over our relationship, not understanding how everyone else could be so accepting of it. She snorted. "I'd say he handling it fairly well. At least Charlie didn't lunge at your throat" she joked remembering the days following Renesmee's birth. I smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm curious too, Jake. How are things with Renesmee?"

"Geez, Bells. It's really embarrassing talking about this with you." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"I don't want the details! Just, are you two happy? Is she happy?" That's all I want to know" she pleaded.

I signed and thought about what I could tell her to ease her mind. "I think so. She tells me she is. It's been so easy- being together. I feel like my life is finally moving forward again." A knot formed in my stomach as I remembered why I'd asked Bella out here. "So about moving forward… you would tell me if Carlisle was thinking of moving the family to a new location, wouldn't you?" Bella stopped walking. She turned to give me a half smile that told me everything I needed to know. "Where? When?" I demanded.

"Jake, calm down. We've only just started talking about it. We were planning on including you once Carlisle narrowed down his choices. He's considering multiple locations; all within a day's run so we'll be near enough to Forks to visit Charlie and Billy often." She was telling me the truth. Her change didn't make her any better a liar. "When?" I whispered. "We should really pick someplace before the fall semester starts. Renesmee will need to enroll in high school and the rest of us are going to start college. "When do you plan on telling Nessie?" I asked knowing I couldn't keep this secret from her. I hoped Bella wouldn't ask me to. "I suppose that depends on you, Jake. Are you planning to come with us?" "Of course I am!" I responded. How could she think I'd allow myself to be separated from Nessie after only a few months of our being together? I felt a stab to my heart even thinking of it. I could never be separated from Nessie. If anyone could understand that feeling it would be Bella. She was doing the same thing following Edward, and she gave up her humanity to boot. "Ok, well then why don't we tell her today? And then we can all be present for Carlisle's meeting. They'll be back on Tuesday." I nodded my head in agreement and we started walking back to the house. Everything I'd ever wanted I finally had. And everything I'd feared for six years was about to happen.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Goodbye Forks

Nessie had reacted to the news of leaving Forks better than I expected. When Bella and I returned from our walk we quickly filled Edward in on the plan. Well, he picked it out of my head before either of us had a chance to tell him. He seemed to agree honesty was the best approach. Knowing that I would follow her to any destination was sure to soften the anxiety for her. That was of course her first question. "Is Jacob coming with us?" she asked of Edward. I took her hand in mine and reassured her. "Yes, honey. I'm going to be wherever you are. I promise." Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. I pretended to scratch fleas out of my hair just to piss her off.

Over the next few weeks everyone was busy with the preparations for the move to Idaho. Carlisle found a job at a new hospital in a city named Mountain Home, population 11,000. Alice boxed up and bubble wrapped every square inch of the Cullen's home. Emmett mapped the safest places for their hunting trips once we arrived. Esme and Blondie went house hunting so they were already there. Bella enrolled Nessie in the local high school and the rest of us in the nearest college. I was actually excited to be going to college since I never even tried in Forks. I had wanted to go but so much was happening with Nessie growing so fast and my pack obligations that once I finished high school I put my education on the back burner. Ness practically begged me to register in the high school with her but I adamantly refused. I could never say no to her so thankfully no one else thought I could pass for a teenager anyway. It would also be hard to explain to people why I lived alone in an apartment if I was supposedly a high school student. I decided to get my own place in Mountain Home for a number of reasons, least of all being my someday father in law being able to read my innermost thoughts 24/7. Seriously, how do they all stand living with him? I couldn't use the toilet in that house without Edward knowing how it went. So, obviously I wanted my privacy and for Nessie and I to have a place to go to be alone. Bella and Edward both hesitated before agreeing to allow Nessie to spend time there alone with me. The only reason they finally agreed was thanks to that built in nanny cam Edward had in Nessie's thoughts. Well, probably that and the hissy fit Blondie threw about me living under the same roof. Like I wanted to live with her vampire stink anyway!

Ness and I were watching the sun set on First Beach the night before we were to leave Forks. We'd said our formal goodbyes to Charlie and Billy, Emily and Sam, Rachel, Quil, Embry, and everyone else I considered family. Now we just needed to say goodbye to the only home Nessie and I had ever known. We lay together on a blanket facing each other, our legs tangled together. I kissed her sweet lips and twisted her hair around my fingers. "Are you regretting leaving the reservation yet?" she asked me between kisses. "No" I answered immediately. "I wouldn't be happy here or anywhere if you weren't with me. This place has always been my home, but now you are my home, Nessie." I kissed her nose and stared deeply into her eyes. The wind blew across the beach and would have been reason for any other couple to head for shelter. The natural warmth of our bodies defied anything late August in the Olympic Peninsula could dish out.

"You make me crazy when you say things like that, Jacob Black." She gently pushed me backwards and rolled on top of me. Supporting her weight on one arm she hovered over me and used her other hand to reach down to the hem of my t-shirt and pushed it upwards uncovering my stomach. I let out a groan as I felt my body reacting to her touch. She blushed pink at my response and lowered her head to kiss my exposed skin. I felt my lower half awaken from her kisses. I kept my hands at my sides but my resulting vulnerability seemed to only be spurring her on. I raised them to her face to tuck her bronze locks behind her ears. "It is you who makes _me_ crazy, Renesmee" I replied softly. She brought her face back to mine and attacked me with kisses. She licked my lips and then pried them open with her tongue. I welcomed her eagerly as she explored my mouth with hers. My hands wandered down to her hips and I held on tightly as she rocked her body against mine in a seductive rhythm.

Nessie was always enticing me to go further in moments like this. My mind told me to slow down but the rest of me made a strong case to continue. I made a deal with myself to stop after one more minute. I needed long enough to explore the length of her back with my hands. I slowly slid them both under the hem of her shirt and felt my way up her spine applying pressure as I went. She gasped into my mouth and made the sexiest little groaning sound. My fingertips continued north until they met the lacy fabric of her bra. She moved her lips to my neck. My large hands had pulled her shirt up with them and I could feel the warmth of her stomach pressing against mine. My fingers brushed over her bra and continued to the soft skin above it. She misinterpreted what I was doing and sat up straddling her legs on either side of my waist quickly pulling her shirt up over her head. It landed in the sand a foot away. My brain reminded me that my minute was up but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her breasts. I'd be embarrassed to admit it, but this was the first time I'd seen a girl in her bra in front of me. She breathed deeply and stared at me waiting for my reaction. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. After what felt like a very long time I woke up from my trance and gently rolled her onto her back.

"God, you're beautiful, Nessie" I whispered to her as my lips found the hollow beneath her ear. Her hands flew up to my sides and pulled my t-shirt up over my head before I had time to protest. She had inherited that vampire speed and often used it against me. I kissed her passionately and allowed my right hand to burn a path from her hip to her waist, up the side of her ribs, and carefully graze the side swell of her breast. I felt my erection pulsating through my jeans and pressed myself against her thigh to relieve a little of the discomfort. Nessie ran her hands all over my back and chest whimpering little sounds that drove me wild with desire. If I didn't put the brakes on soon I didn't know if I'd be able to stop myself from breaking one of our rules. I groaned as I kissed my way down her neck, over her collarbone, and allowed myself one kiss to the top of each of her luscious breasts before disengaging myself and rolling off her into the sand. She turned on her side to face me and asked, "What's the matter?"

"We have to stop this, before I lose control with you" I explained, still catching my breath. She nodded her understanding and placed her hand on my chest over my heart. "Okay" she replied sounding defeated. I looked into her sad eyes and clarified "The last thing we want to do is upset you dad right now. I wouldn't put it past him to stop me from going with you if we did anything 'unacceptable' tonight." I rolled my eyes and gave her a smile. I put my hand over my eyes and in a teasing tone told her to put her shirt back on before I changed my mind. She giggled and did as I asked. "Okay. I'm decent." I sat up and looked for my shirt. I thought I saw it fall to her right, so it should have been next to me now. Was I sitting on it? Nessie was laughing as I looked over at her to discover she was wearing my t-shirt and hers was still in the sand. "Can I have my shirt please?" I asked in an innocent voice with my hand outstretched. "No, it smells just like you" she replied grasping the fabric and raising it to her nose. "I want to keep it." I had to admit she looked incredibly sexy in my clothes even though it was so large she was swimming in it. I imagined myself wrestling her to the ground and peeling it off her body. I decided I couldn't handle that temptation tonight. "Fine" I surrendered. "You can wear it home but you better hope none of your family is waiting for us on the porch." She smiled in victory taking another whiff. "You run around shirtless all the time, Jake. No one will even notice." "Edward might wonder what we've been doing when you walk in the house wearing my shirt instead of your own" I challenged. She thought a minute and then turned her back to me. She crisscrossed her hands at the hem and seductively lifted the t-shirt off her body tossing it back to me. Then she reached out for hers, shook it free of sand, and slipped it over her head. I laughed as I stood up and reached for her hand to help her up.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Hello Mountain Home

Life in south west Idaho was very different than small town Forks. For one, there were many more residents. Not everyone knew our names the moment we arrived; it was a nice change. There was more than one food store to choose from and many auto mechanics. I found myself a body shop willing to give me a chance under the hood for a low wage. It was enough to afford a decent apartment with money left over to open a savings account and still take Nessie out on weekends. Alice insisted on putting my funds in a lucrative stock market portfolio but I managed to get away with only giving her half the money I had when we moved. I wanted to support myself as best I could. The Cullen's did pay for my college tuition for which I was grateful. The apartment was a nice two bedroom with a view of the mountains. It had access to hunting grounds for Ness and enough forest where I could communicate with the pack without being seen. The Cullen's house was only five miles away so it was a very convenient location.

Their home, of course, was extravagant. It was set back in the woods much like the Forks house. It was two stories tall with high ceilings and large windows along two identical wings that jetted out either side and connected in the central living and dining areas. Each couple had their own bedroom, bathroom, and a closet bigger than my room at Billy's house. Ness had her own room on the lower level - technically the basement- which was furnished as tastefully as the rest of the house and had a separate entrance to the back yard. Being the only member of the family who slept, it was necessary to give her space away from everyone else so she wouldn't be woken up in the middle of the night.

I went over there every morning to have breakfast with Nessie in their gourmet kitchen. It was really a sight to watch Esme and Bella cook up delicious dishes like Spanish omelets and Belgium waffles every morning considering the smell made them practically gag. Bella had always been a good cook and Esme enjoyed helping her now that there were actually mouths to feed in the family. They had the most fun at breakfast, discovering new recipes for eggs- Nessie's favorite food.

I'd say the most difficult part of the move so far had been pretending in public that Nessie and I had only just met. I was able to blend in easily without anyone noticing I was from out of town. As far as anyone knew I was just like any other young man who had gotten a job and his own apartment when he started college. The high school in town had a lot more students than in Forks but everyone still noticed Nessie when she started in the fall as a senior so she had to admit she'd recently moved to the area. The family had strongly suggested she start out in a lower grade but Ness hated the idea. She said it was because she couldn't stand relearning what she already knew but I think it had more to do with the age she'd have to claim. She'd made so much progress the past few months getting Edward and Bella to start treating her like an adult, in her relationship with me and in other ways too, that she couldn't stand the thought of playing a 16 year-old high school sophomore. I was relieved when Carlisle stuck up for her, since no one took my opinion seriously, and suggested she enroll at the high school as a senior, spend one year in the local town, and then join us at the college the following fall.

Some days were more frustrating than others. Like the day about a month after we arrived when I'd borrowed the Volvo and picked Nessie up from school after her final class. She was standing outside with some friends when I pulled up. She had made a number of friends in the weeks since we'd moved to Mountain Home. There was a pretty girl named Ashley who seemed like a decent friend. She was sweet and naïve and didn't ask a lot of questions about the family. Another girl, Sadie, had curly black hair and always blushed when I made eye contact with her. It made me uncomfortable so I was glad I didn't see her standing with Nessie. But Ashley wasn't there either. The friends she was with were both guys. She had male friends back in Forks but it was different there because my relationship with her had been common knowledge. Even that Kyle kid knew better than to mess with Nessie Cullen's freakishly tall boyfriend and his "pack" of freakishly tall friends.

Ness didn't notice I had pulled up. She must have been expecting the Rabbit. These two boys were laughing about something and Nessie was shaking her head and smiling at them. I felt anxious watching them, waiting for her to notice me. I was about to honk and announce myself when one of those assholes put his arm around Nessie. I flew open the car door and started walking swiftly towards them. Nessie saw me then and looked surprised as she side stepped out the boys grasp. Both boys looked guilty as hell as I approached their little circle. The one who'd had his arm around Nessie took a few steps back in fear. That suited me just fine. He needed a reminder Nessie had a friend who was older, 6'7", and covered in muscles.

"Jacob?" Nessie greeted me, obviously surprised at my sudden appearance.

"Are you okay, Ness?" I asked keeping my eyes on the two boys.

"Yes, of course. This is Jeff and Greg. They were just keeping me company until you arrived" she explained.

"I can see that" I spit out. I turned back to her and gave a small smile. "You ready to go?" I added trying to calm my tone down.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys tomorrow." We turned and walked back to the car. I shot the two boys one more death stare just for good measure. The driver's side door was still swung wide open. I made sure to open the passenger door for Nessie before getting in myself.

"What was that about?" she asked once we were driving away from the school grounds.

"That kid put his arm around you" I stated the obvious.

"It's no big deal, Jake. You didn't have to scare them."

"What were you talking about, anyway?" I asked.

She let out a sigh and I could tell she didn't want to answer. "They were joking about which one of them would get to take me to the homecoming dance since I told them I didn't have a date. I said I wasn't going at all and they were pretending to fight over who got to take me. That's all."

"Do you want to go to the dance, Nessie?" She hadn't mentioned it before so I was taken by surprise at the mere mention of it.

"No. I'll have plenty of chances." She smiled.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I just couldn't stand seeing someone else touching you."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't shrug him off sooner." She put her hand on mine and squeezed it tight.

I was still a little miffed when we pulled into the garage at the Cullen's home. Edward read my thoughts as we came into the house and laughed under his breath. I tossed him his keys.

"What is so funny?" I asked, knowing he'd just plucked the whole story out of my brain.

"Nothing. It's just fascinating, the irony." He smirked all holier than thou.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jacob's the moron who was always hugging _your _girlfriend and holding her hand, and now the shoe's on the other foot and can't handle it" I grumbled. I wished he'd just drop it. I didn't want Nessie asking about "the old days." Edward seemed to understand and thankfully let it go.

Bella came into the room, overhearing our conversation and asked Nessie what happened at school. She explained how the two boys were fighting over who would take her to the school dance even though she insisted she didn't even want to go.

"I feel your pain, sweetheart" Bella commented with a gentle smile. Edward chuckled knowingly.

After the brief confrontation at the high school word got around that Renesmee Cullen had a college-aged boyfriend. I was relieved to say the least that we could finally admit to being together, even though it had to appear as a new development in our lives rather than a "soul mate from the moment of her conception" kind of thing but that was okay. I was getting used to having secrets. We simply told everyone that I met Edward and Bella in college and met Nessie from hanging out with them.

Time passed and before I knew it we had been in Mountain Home for nearly six months. It was February and I was looking forward to my first Valentine's Day ever with a girlfriend. I wanted to plan something very special for Nessie. I was going over ideas in my head that afternoon. Everyone was spending time together in one of the clearings Emmett and Jasper found a few miles from the house. It looked much likes the ones in Forks only drier and less green. The family was playing baseball and Bella and I were watching. She could have played if she'd liked. Her balance and hand eye coordination was excellent now. I actually missed seeing her stumble and fall over her own feet. It was a large part of her human charm that was now lost. She sat out because even though she acquired the grace all vampires have she still didn't enjoy sports. Too many bad human memories she claimed. And also it made the teams even. I didn't play because it was a family tradition and I didn't feel like part of the family. Most of them had been friendly and welcoming to me most of the time but I couldn't help but feel that they were forced to accept my presence for Nessie's sake and wouldn't have missed me if I left. Edward was the only one who knew I felt that way, obviously. Blondie probably held hopes that I did. I wasn't really expecting to ever fit in with them. Werewolves and vampires were natural enemies; it was strange enough for me to consider them friends.

"Why are you so quiet, Jacob?" Bella asked breaking me from my reverie. I looked up to see where Nessie was before answering. She was covering second base, totally occupied in the boys versus girls game they had going.

"I'm just trying to decide what to do with Ness for Valentine's Day. I want to do something special, you know, 'cause it's our first one together."

"Yes, that should be special" she agreed smiling. "What have you come up with so far? If you don't mind my asking."

I felt very fortunate to have Bella in my life. There were many times in the past that I was sure I'd lose my best friend due to one thing or another- the red headed vampire, her decision to be changed, the newborn army, possibly being crushed to death on her honeymoon, and then of course carrying Nessie- just to name a few! I was grateful that Bella was open to hearing about my relationship with Nessie and that the idea of us together didn't seem to bother her anymore.

"I'm considering a couple nice restaurants. Or possibly making dinner for her myself and having a picnic in the mountains" I whispered real low in case anyone else was listening. They all looked occupied by the ball game.

"Picnic, definitely" she decided. "Of all the restaurants and theaters Edward has ever taken me to, my favorite place will always be the afternoons spent in our meadow." She looked out into the clearing to make eye contact with her husband and smiled.

"You're probably right. It would mean more if I prepared everything and surprised her with homemade food" I interrupted her ogling. She turned back to me nodding her head.

"What do you think I should make?" I asked.

"I'll give you some simple recipes and help you make a shopping list" she assured me.

"Thanks, Bells."

"Anytime" she replied and mock-punched me.

"Strrrrrrrrrrrike three!" Jasper announced. Apparently, the game was over. The guys won and were high fiving each other. Rosalie was still standing at home plate arguing Jasper's call. Ness ran over to me and gave me a big hug. I kissed her forehead.

"Did you have fun?" I asked her.

"Yes, but everyone is faster and stronger than me. I wasn't much help" she shrugged. Bella rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. It was her human genes that made Nessie slower than her family.

"At least I'm still faster than a wolf" she teased.

"Oh, are you so sure about that?" I challenged. "Come on Ness, I'll race you back to the house."

She accepted my challenge and we took off into the thick forest. She was fast, but I was faster. I only had to slow up slightly to let her inch past me just as we reached the back door of the house. I declared the race a tie and swooped her up in my arms. Nessie laughed and wrapped her legs around my waist. She attacked my lips while I was still catching my breath. Teenagers. Always in the mood. Within moments I was right there with her, caught up in the moment and squeezing her backside with my hands. I tried to pull back from her but her arms were still draped around my neck and she tightened her legs around my waist.

"Ness, your family is going to be back any minute" I warned.

"Shhh. We'll hear them coming before they'll see us" she reasoned. I kissed her a few more seconds and then used all my strength to peel her body off of me.

"Yes, but I need a moment to calm down before then..." I took a step back and adjusted my jeans. She looked down and saw the bulge I was subtly referring to. She grinned from ear to ear and continued staring. "Get you mind out of the gutter, Renesmee" I playfully scolded her. I took her hand and we walked into the house. I would need a dozen cold showers between now and Valentine's Day for sure.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's been reading my story! I really appreciate the reviews! I started reading fanfics to fill the void I felt after finishing Breaking Dawn. There's a thousand Harry Potters and only 4 ½ Twilight books. It's so unfair. So, basically I am writing this because I'm still in mourning the end of the saga. I suppose I could have titled this story Stage 1: Denial. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter Eight: Mountains

I hurried into my apartment and threw my books onto the coffee table. I was running out of time. It was Thursday, February 14th and I told Nessie I'd be over to pick her up at 3:30 but my Economics class ran late and I got stuck in traffic in the school parking lot. I glanced at the clock on the microwave. 1:45. I quickly pulled out all the supplies I'd need to make pasta salad, a ham and spinach quiche, and chocolate brownies. As promised Bella had helped with the menu and I felt confident I could follow her instructions. Alice had purchased the picnic supplies for me- not that I had asked- but she got very excited when she saw Bella helping me. She couldn't confirm the date would go well since she still couldn't see visions of me. Good. If tonight was going to go well I didn't want her seeing it. I opened the basket to start stuffing her supplies inside and found a book. I read the title, An Idiot's Guide to Cooking. Har Har.

It took twenty minutes to get everything set and I needed and hour cooking time. I hurried off to my bedroom to shower and shave. I chose to wear dark blue jeans and a green button down collared shirt. I fought with my hair until it looked right and jammed my wallet in my pocket. I thought about slipping a condom inside just in case, but changed my mind. Tonight wasn't about sex I reminded myself. Better not to encourage the temptation by bringing that item. Ness still didn't know where I was taking her and I told her not to get too dressed up. I scouted out the perfect place in the mountains the night before and took out some preliminary decorations to the spot I'd chosen. I set up a large camping tent – the kind you could stand in- with lanterns hanging from the ceiling. We'd be there for sunset so I needed some lights. Well, we didn't actually need lighting but they would still make a nice touch. And I set up a little table and two folding chairs inside. My original idea was an outdoor picnic, but when I realized Idaho in February meant 30 degrees and darkness by 5pm I had to change my plans slightly. Nessie didn't get cold like a human would exposed to the elements but her skin was slightly softer than her family's making the wind chill unpleasant.

I took the quiche and brownies out of the oven. Everything looked good and I started getting nervous as I packed the basket full of goodies. I had to run back to my room and grab Nessie's gift and then I was on my way. She was waiting for me on the porch when I pulled up in front of the house. She was wearing a long-sleeved sweater dress that hugged her delicate curves and the neckline plunged down to reveal an ample amount of cleavage. God bless Alice. She made my already beautiful Nessie look like a movie star. I couldn't hide my ogling as I met her at the top of the steps and twirled her around by the hand to get the full effect. "Hey, Beautiful" I greeted her. "Hey" she replied and gave me a sweet kiss.

"All right, Nessie. Remember, I'm allowing you to wear the tennis shoes in exchange for a full report of your evening when you get back. You know I can't stand not seeing!" Alice exclaimed.

"I promise, Aunt Alice."

"Ok, well you kids have fun" she called after us as we made our way to the car.

I held the passenger door open and helped her inside. I looked back at the house to see Edward standing with Alice on the porch. He was dressed in an expensive suit so he must be planning to take Bella out somewhere. Maybe if he was out enjoying himself he wouldn't worry too much about where Nessie was.

"It's a school night, Jacob. Ten o'clock" he called out softly but sternly. I nodded my head before slipping inside the car.

"We're hiking?" Nessie questioned when I pulled the car to the side of the road and got out.

"Yes, hun. Just a few miles through the forest." I chuckled. "You don't really think Alice would have let you wear those shoes otherwise, do you?"

She shook her head and sighed. "You're right, I should have known!"

At our speed we made it to the mountainside clearing in about ten minutes. Nessie gasped when she saw my setup. I left the tent doors open to reveal the dining set and lanterns. I pulled a dozen roses from the picnic basket and handed them to her. She smelled them and her cheeks blushed to match the color of the flowers. We walked into the tent and I took the flowers from her to place in a vase waiting on the table. Then, I pressed play on the boom box in the corner and the tent was filled with the soft sounds of violins.

"Jacob, this is amazing. I couldn't imagine a more perfect Valentine's Day" she said. I felt a surge of excitement flow through my body at her words.

"I made you dinner" I boasted. "I hope you're hungry."

"You cooked?" she asked amused. "I'm so impressed."

I shrugged my shoulders feeling very proud of myself. We gazed at the setting sun while we ate, chatting about everyday things. In between bites of a heart shaped brownie Nessie's eyes turned quizzical and her lips pressed into a hard line.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing…" –she smiled- "I'm just curious about something."

"Ness, you can ask me anything."

She hesitated, unsure whether or not to continue. "Do you ever wish I wasn't part vampire?" she questioned very softly and looked down at the table.

"What makes you think that?" I replied as I took her free hand in mine. She didn't speak for a minute and then looked up to meet my eyes.

"I was just thinking how we've been together almost a year now… and we've still never talked about some things. It felt like a good time to ask." She waited for my answer, her eyes wide and focused.

"Okay" I started. "No, Nessie, I don't regret falling in love with a half-vampire. I love that your eyes and ears are supernatural like mine. You can keep up with me when we run through the forest. I love that you're able to relate to both your family and me. I love that you are intelligent, and graceful, and beautiful. And your gift…" – I turned her hand palm side up and placed mine overtop- "I love that you can share your thoughts with me." She grinned.

"Of course, I also love your human qualities. Your soft warm skin, the blush in your cheeks, your eyes. I love that you eat and sleep like I do. And you don't possess any of the qualities of vampires that make me uneasy. You're not venomous, for instance." I laughed. "That's important. Your skin doesn't keep you inside on sunny days. Your heart beats. And you don't smell bad like the rest of them. You're perfect and I love you exactly the way you are." She squeezed my hand and showed me a vision expressing how much she loved me.

"I love you too" she reiterated out loud.

"Were you curious about anything else?" I wondered.

"Well… never mind." She said pulling her hand back shyly. I saw a glimpse of myself sitting on her bed in her vision before she broke the contact. Now I was really curious.

"Please?" I begged. She sighed thinking it over.

"Sometimes I wonder who really draws the lines on our physical relationship, you or my dad. Either way it certainly isn't me."

She glanced down again, blushing a deep red. She looked frustrated. I didn't know what to say. How could she doubt the extent of my attraction to her? Hadn't she ever met Edward? How could there be any question that it was him making the rules for us. My next thought was elation that she seemed to be as frustrated with the current status of our physical relationship as me.

"Renesmee, your dad makes the rules, he draws the lines, he controls every inch of our physical relationship. Whatever pace I've set for us has been out of respect for him and your mom. I promised him many things when you were still a baby. I guess that wasn't very fair to you, was it?"

"I just want it to be _our_ decision. I'm tired of being told by both of you to slow down" she fumed.

"Please don't think I don't _want_ to do more things with you..." I whispered. She still hadn't looked up from the table.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way. You are always the one who puts on the breaks. And I never hear you talk the way my friends' boyfriends talk at school." I snorted and finally she looked up again.

I smiled and said, "Ness, the boys in your school have no manners. Just because I know better than to say those kinds of things in front of you doesn't mean I'm not thinking them. Why else would Edward feel the need for so many rules?" A devilish look washed over her face.

She stood up and reached out for my hands. When I obliged she pulled me down onto the blanket that was laid out on the floor of the tent. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me enthusiastically. She left my lips in a daze as she inched her face back to see my expression.

"So tell me what you're thinking now" she encouraged. This was going to be bad. In a very, very good way. I placed my hand on her leg. The way she was sitting had made her dress ride up a bit exposing more skin. I slowly rubbed my hand up and down her thigh over the fabric.

"I'm thinking about this dress. How easy it would be to shift my hand inward and touch you in a place no one ever has." I stopped my hand and tried to gauge her response. I'd never spoken to her like that before. I instantly regretted my comment but she didn't seem offended; excitement filled her eyes.

"Do it" she said slowly. Her voice cracked. I heard her heart speeding up in her chest. I shook my head and let out the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

"Jacob… do you ever _touch _yourself… when your alone?" She said the words so softly I wasn't sure that I hadn't imagined it. Her expression was guilty, like she didn't have a right to be asking me that.

"Yes" I answered honestly. "More often since we've been together. You're so hard to resist, Nessie." I leaned closer to kiss her. Her heart was still pounding.

"So you think about me when you do it?" she whispered against my mouth. I felt my own pulse quicken. My length hardened against her thigh, trying to get both our attention.

"Yes, honey." It was easier to admit these things to her than I expected. Something occurred to me then. "Do you…ever…?"

"Never tried." She blushed. "Vampire hearing, you know? I'm never alone in the house…" I fought very hard not to think about how alone we currently were. Well out of earshot from humans and vampires alike.

"Ask me another question" I suggested, trying to change the subject. I was starting to like this game.

"Your turn. Don't you have any questions for me?" she wondered as she began kissing my neck.

"Hmmm, let me think" I stalled. She ran a trail of kisses from my ear to my shoulder and back. "Do you ever wish I wasn't a werewolf? That maybe I was a vampire instead?"

"No, never!" she declared, but her expression told me she was conflicted. "I couldn't imagine you being any different. I love how warm you are, your woodsy scent, and your insatiable appetite." She laughed.

Then her forehead crinkled as she thought hard about something. She chose to show me instead of struggle to form her thoughts into words. Her hand on my face revealed Sam and Emily. That was unexpected. I saw them holding their children, laughing together. It was from the night we said goodbye to them before leaving Washington. Nessie saw how much happier Emily was since Sam had given up his wolf. She had always been aging like any other human and finally Sam was capable of growing old with her. Nessie feared that someday I would give up my wolf too and she would lose me to a natural human death. As far as any of us knew, Nessie was immortal. She didn't know how she felt about that.

I pulled her to my chest, breaking the vision. "Nessie, I promise you that I will never leave you. I'm the alpha, and I'll keep phasing forever if it means I can spend eternity with you. I've chosen to give up my mortality to be with you." I rocked her back and forth as we both pondered my words. I'd given it a lot of thought in the past seven years and I spoke the truth to her in that moment. I accepted that fate, but I had also never said it out loud before. I was surprised how much it frightened me.

"Who do you think makes the best wolf?" I asked to lighten the mood and keep her questions coming.

"Definitely Seth" she joked. I rolled my eyes at her.

"How many girls have you kissed?" she countered.

"Just two… I don't count Stacey Brown in the eighth grade because she backed away from me and wiped her mouth on her sleeve." Ridiculous. Nessie laughed.

"That sounds better than how it went with my mom. At least Stacey Brown didn't punch you in the face!" Nessie mock punched my jaw line.

"Yeah, or break her hand in the process" I added, chuckling as I remembered the expression on Bella's face after she hit me. So easy it was to laugh about it now.

"Well, sorry to tell you this, Casanova, but if you don't count the incident in eighth grade as a real kiss then you shouldn't include mom either."

We had never discussed my ancient feelings for Bella. I was actually surprised by how much she seemed to know. I suppose there really were no secrets in that house. I'm sure Edward enjoyed telling the story at my expense a time or two. After he secured his vampire bride for all eternity, and I imprinted on Nessie, my history with Bella became much more amusing to everyone.

"Well, fine that kiss shouldn't count but the second one, the day I fought the newborns, certainly counts." As soon as the words slipped past my lips I could see that I'd made a mistake. Nessie pulled away from our embrace and looked puzzled.

"The second kiss?" she exclaimed. "Impossible, they were engaged when the newborn army came. Why have I never heard about this?" She was visibly upset. Her brows were angled creating a crease in between and she clenched her teeth.

"What have you heard about it?" I asked.

"Um, that you were in love with my mom but she loved Daddy. And when you tried to kiss her to convince her to stay human she punched you in the face" she said angrily. She folded her arms across her chest. I tried to think fast and decided honesty was the best option. It had always worked for us in the past.

"Sweetheart, it was a long time ago. Ancient history" I began. "But that's not the whole story. Your mom loved me too. There was a time when we were very close friends and we loved each other, only for her it was never enough because of how much _more_ she loved your dad. So that second kiss, well, she kissed me back that time. But that was the end of it Ness, I swear. I got injured in the fight, she married your dad, and then you were born. End of story." I sat back and waited for her response.

She touched my cheek with her small hand to show me how hurt she was feeling. They were emotions that didn't translate to actual words. My heart broke from the visions. "Take me home, please" was all she said.

We didn't speak on the way back to her house. There was nothing I could do to change what had happened before she was even born. Before she stepped out of my car I touched her on the arm.

"Ness, at the risk of making you angrier, I just want to say that I don't regret anything that happened between your mom and me. It was incredibly painful for me but in the end it all made sense because I found you."

She sighed and her lips twitched into a slight smile. "I'm not angry with you, Jake. I just need to talk to my mom right now. I have to go."

She stepped out and ran into the house, closing the door without looking back. I felt blood boiling under my skin. What had happened tonight? I didn't understand why she was so upset. If only I could have made her understand how the connection Bella and I felt to one another was really due to _her_- drawing me in like gravity before she was even conceived.

I remembered then that I'd never given Nessie her gift. What a crappy Valentine's Day. I drove home and flopped down on my bed to sulk. I rolled over and pulled a shoebox out from underneath. I placed her gift inside the box, next to the engagement ring I was planning on presenting to her in a few weeks.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the positive reviews! Just a warning that this chapter gets a little lemony at the end so if you've been waiting for it- here it is! If not- here's your warning! **

**Thanks for reading!**

Chapter Nine: The Morning After

I woke up the next morning to find myself fully dressed. I hadn't even taken my shoes off before passing out. I immediately wondered how Nessie was feeling. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and checked for messages. One. My heart skipped a beat and I rubbed my eyes so I could see clearly. I opened the text message to find it was from Embry. Dang.

How did it go last night? Still a virgin?

Smug bastard. Embry met and imprinted on a very nice girl at his college last year named Amanda and they had recently moved in together. I hadn't known I was in a virginity losing competition with Em until a few months ago when he declared himself the winner. I typed my response to his text.

Not great. Long story. Hope yours went better.

I had two options. I could wallow in regret and self pity all day or I could try calling Ness before she left for school. Eventually, I decided to wallow. I showered and dressed and left the apartment a little late for work. The next eight hours passed by faster than expected. By the time my shift ended I was feeling confident enough to call. Bella, that is. Nessie had said she was going to talk to Bella. I needed to know how that discussion went. Her phone rang twice before she answered.

"Jake?" She sounded relieved I was calling.

"Hey, Bells? How is she?" I asked nervously.

"She's better, we had a good talk last night. I'm sorry I didn't explain the details of our friendship to her earlier, Jake. I didn't realize how much it would hurt her. I'm sorry I wasn't more honest."

"Sure, sure. It's not your fault Bells" I replied. She's always blaming herself.

"Thank you. She's here with me and wants to talk to you. I'll put her on."

The sweetest voice in the world came through the line. "Hi, Jake."

"Hey, honey. I'm so sorry. I miss you" I blurted.

"I'm sorry too. Can I see you tonight?" she asked.

"Really?" I questioned.

"We always spend Friday nights together" she reminded me.

"Yes, of course, Nessie. Let me just go home and wash up. I have grease all over me."

"Can I meet you at your place then?" she suggested shyly.

"Absolutely. I'll be there in 20 minutes. I'm still at the garage."

"Okay, see you then."

I couldn't keep from smiling all the way back to the apartment. Her voice sounded like she was as eager to see me as I was her. I arrived before Nessie and went inside to shower. I turned the faucet on as hot as it would go and stripped down. I washed my hair and body and then let the warm water attempt to soothe my tense muscles. The water was hot enough to burn anyone else's skin, steaming up the little bathroom quickly, but to me it only felt slightly hot enough to feel good. I heard when Nessie let herself in and called my name but she must have proceeded cautiously once inside because I didn't realize she had come into the bathroom until I shut the water off and heard her heartbeat. I poked my head out from behind the curtain careful to keep my lower half concealed.

"Hey, babe" I said cheerfully. She just smiled in response. I could tell from her expression she had something to tell me but I wasn't worried because she looked happy.

"Think you could hand me that towel?" I nodded towards the towel rack on the wall.

She passed it to me and then backed up so I had room to step out. I quickly rubbed the towel over myself behind the curtain and wrapped it around my waist before stepping out in front of her. I wanted badly to touch her, to put my arms around her, but decided against it until I heard what she had come to say. Instead of speaking, Nessie threw her arms around my waist and buried her face in my still damp chest. I couldn't resist any longer and circled my arms around her. Neither of us said anything but we didn't need words. We held each other for over a minute before she broke away. I didn't want to let her go.

I reluctantly pulled back and a familiar warming sensation began to creep across my groin. I stared into her eyes and felt like she might be experiencing a similar feeling. "I'll let you get dressed" she said in a whisper before walking to my bedroom door and shutting it behind her. I quickly threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and walked into the living room to join her. She patted the cushion beside her on the sofa and I obediently sat.

"I want to explain why I got so upset last night, Jacob. It's never bothered me much knowing you were in love with my mom a long time ago. I believed you when you said your feelings for her have changed. But to learn that love was not unrequited after all contradicted what I'd been told over and over again about my parents' great love story." She rolled her eyes. "You know, how they tried to stay away from each other because they were so different but couldn't stand to be apart. The agony dad felt for putting her life in danger and her choice to give up her human life so they could be together. When dad would tell me the story your part in it was always that of the friend mom leaned on during the bad times, an annoyance to dad once he returned, but never a threat. The fact that mom could have easily chosen differently, that you were trying to break them apart, that I might not have been born… it just infuriated me." She took a deep breath and continued her speech. I wanted to interject but I knew better.

"So, I confronted my mother last night and she agreed to tell me exactly how it happened. She told me how wounded she was when dad left her and how she spent every day with you. How badly she hurt you when dad came back, when she decided to be changed, when they got married, and again when she almost died having me. I realized last night just how painful it must have been for you, knowing that she loved you but still chose someone else. Mom also mentioned that her feelings for you changed when I was born- like the unexplainable draw she felt for you was transferred to me and she was able to identify you like any other member of the family." She took my hand and bit her lip.

"That was because of you, huh, I thought it was because I smell like wet dog to her now?" I joked.

"She did mention that" she teased.

"You're right that I tried to steal Edward's girlfriend from him. I felt I loved her just as much as he did and I could give her a better life- a human life. But I was wrong, Ness. Your mom's never been happier than she's been since her change. She made the right choice and everyone got to have a happy ending because of it." I smiled as I tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"After she was done telling me how much she had hurt you over and over again I started to almost resent her for it. Of course I was relieved to hear she never stopped loving my dad and how, for her, she never felt like there was a choice between two loves. I found myself feeling very protective of you. I didn't like hearing about how much pain you were in through it all. I was angry with her for putting you through such hell." She shrugged and leaned her forehead against my shoulder. I kissed her hair and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. I was taken aback by her words. Never did I consider she would feel that way- that the awkwardness of our "situation" would be overridden by her defensive desire to protect me. It made me feel good inside, and relieved that our quasi-fight seemed to be over.

"I'm sorry our first Valentine's Day was ruined. You planned such a romantic evening" she said softly.

"Let's just pretend we stuck a pin in last night right when things got ugly and now we can pick up where we left off" I whispered.

She looked playfully into my eyes and said, "And what do you remember the last good thing being?" She dipped her head into the crook of my neck and started nibbling on my skin. I remembered her request to be more involved in the line-drawing of our physical relationship and decided to experiment a little.

I tugged at the collar of her shirt exposing her shoulder to my lips and kissed her sweet skin. "I remember something about you never experiencing a… release. I'm really looking forward to helping you with that" I confessed to her shoulder. She quietly gasped but regained her composure and started rubbing my thighs with her petite hands. I moaned as her hands crept closer to my hardening length. My hands raced up her sides and cupped her face as I kissed her urgently. She responded immediately and tightened her grip on my thighs. Then I felt her hands between us and she started undoing the buttons of my shirt. Too soon her lips pulled away from mine and I took a needed gasp of air. She shifted her position to straddle my lap as she pushed the shirt off my shoulders. When she ran her hands down my bare chest I thought I was going to lose it.

Without consciously making the decision my hands reached for the buttons on her pants and opened them in one swift movement. I was as shocked at my actions as Nessie seemed to be but of course she didn't stop me. She had never told me to slow down in the history of our relationship, why did I expect any help from her now? She spread her knees farther apart and pressed herself down against my lap. I stopped thinking and groaned at the feeling of her hot center pressing against my erection. I tried to push my next thoughts from my mind. I wanted to give her some of the pleasure we'd been denying ourselves but I knew my limits. I couldn't let her touch me if I had any hope of staying in control. Her fingers moved from my chest up my body entwining in my hair. She gave it a little tug, anchoring herself to me.

Another groan escaped my lips before turning my full attention back to her. My arms had circled her waist and my fingers were starting to pull at the waistband of her pants. Ness leaned in to kiss me and lifted herself up onto her knees enabling me to inch her pants down as far as they would go. She whimpered as my hands grazed her backside. Her panties were pink cotton and, oh god, they were wet. I broke our string of kisses to take a breath and look into her eyes. They were deep and lust filled. I saw no sign of hesitation. Just to be sure I asked her if I could touch her. Screw the rules.

"Ness" I whispered. "Can I touch you, honey?" She smirked and hid her face against my neck. "Yes, please" she begged as she began sucking on my ear and neck. I gently ran my palm over her mound outside her underwear a few times before dipping underneath the fabric and sliding my middle finger inside of her. I'd never done this to a girl before and was relieved to hear Ness moan in pleasure. For once, I was thankful for Jared sharing his dirty mind with the pack.

"Fuck, Nessie, you're so wet" I blurted out. She bucked her hips to meet my hand and I pumped again and again into her. It was the most amazing feeling, having her warm core around my finger. I could only imagine how it would feel to make love to her. My cock twitched at the thought but I tried to focus on what I was doing. I settled into a good rhythm that matched the movements of her hips. She whimpered my name repeatedly which spurred such excitement inside me I couldn't see straight. I wanted to further her pleasure and make her say more things. My free hand traveled from her hip up her stomach to the cup of her bra. I pushed the fabric to the side and palmed her breast. She pushed down hard into my lap at the new contact and shrieked when my fingers pinched her nipple. I felt like I could do this the rest of my life and never tire of hearing the noises she made under my hand. Nessie's breath became ragged and her hips started pushing harder against me. I slid my finger out of her to rub circles on her clit which made her moan even louder. My other roaming hand popped her breast out of the bra so I could see the soft pink nipple as my fingers rolled it back and forth. She grabbed my shoulders tightly and I knew she was about to come. She let out a loud scream and I felt a sense of extreme pride rise inside me knowing I was the first (and hopefully only) to make her feel this way. After a few shudders her body finally stilled and her hands released me as she fell limp against my chest. I removed my hand from her panties and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Jake. That was amazing" she whispered to me. I kissed her and pulled her closer.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: The Gift

The next morning I woke to find Nessie snuggled up against me in my bed. It felt different though, than any other Friday night sleepover, and I smiled remembering the events of the night before. She had wanted very much to return the favor, so to speak, but I was able to convince her it wasn't necessary. I would be in enough hot water if her father heard either of us thinking about this later on. As a result, my morning wood was more painful than usual and I hobbled into the bathroom to shower and ease my suffering. I tried not to wake Nessie. I wanted to surprise her with breakfast. When I came out of the bathroom I was a little disappointed to find her awake. She gave me a big smile and I leaned over to kiss her good morning.

"I wanted to have breakfast ready for you when you woke" I explained. "What would you like?"

"Eggs and toast?" she suggested.

"Okay. Don't go anywhere." I winked at her as I headed for the hall.

She hopped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. I heard the water running as I entered the kitchen. I was back with scrambled eggs, toast with jam, and orange juice before she even finished in the shower. She'd left the bathroom door open but if she thought she was getting any more naughty behavior out of me right now she was sorely mistaken. I'd pushed our boundaries last night and didn't want to go too far. I put her clothes on the hook in the bathroom and shut the door. She must have gotten the hint because when the door finally opened she was fully dressed.

"Thank you" I said. "I don't think I could resist you in a towel right now, Ness. You're too sexy," I said explaining my actions. Her feelings must have been slightly hurt because she just smiled and nodded before changing the subject.

"Thank you for breakfast, it looks delicious."

"So what do you want to do today?" I asked, taking a bit of egg.

"Well, maybe we could go into town? We've been here for a while now and we still haven't done much exploring. There's got to be some fun things to do around here."

"Alright, that sounds fun" I agreed. I was just thinking about her choice of words and how I'd done plenty of _exploring_ last night when she jumped up from the bed and clapped her hands together shouting, "Oh, oh! I forgot that I brought over your Valentine's Day present last night! Wait right here, I left it in the living room." I felt a wave of guilt remembering that our first Valentine's was so terrible we hadn't even exchanged gifts.

She was back in a few seconds with a little black box with a red bow. I ripped the paper open to find a brand new Ipod with an engraving on the back that read: _Jacob & Renesmee Forever_.

"I knew you wanted one for when you're at work."

"Thanks, hun. I did want one. I love it." I leaned over the breakfast plates and gave her a long kiss. She smiled and blushed a light pink. I remembered that I'd stashed her present under my bed so I rolled off and knelt on the floor.

"Your gift is in my secret hiding place so pretend you don't see this" I joked.

I pulled out the shoebox and started shifting through the random stuff I had in there until finally I pulled out her Valentine's present. Under it I saw her other gift, the one I'd been hiding there for weeks. Suddenly the earrings in my hand seemed like an insult. What I really wanted to give her was in the velvet box. I deliberated for a moment trying to decide what to do. My heart started pounding and I felt my hands start to clam up a bit.

"What's wrong, did you forget where you put it?" she teased.

I looked up at her, giggling at me, and I knew. I dropped the earrings back into the shoebox and snatched up the velvet box. So much for taking this slow, I thought. My mind raced as the implications of what I was about to do flooded my senses. I had been planning to give her this on our one year anniversary. It was still months away. All of a sudden my heart couldn't wait that long. She had to be mine! Forever, like the Ipod said. And it had to be now. I quickly tucked the box into my pocket and stood up.

She looked at me in confusion. I was very grateful in that instant that Alice's visions were blocked by my being a werewolf. I hated the idea of her seeing intimate moments between Nessie and me. But this? Oh man, if she could have seen me make this decision I wouldn't have had time to get the words out before Edward broke down my front door. He would be furious, no doubt. Though, in the very least, I could hope maybe this news would overshadow the fact that I went to second base with his daughter last night…

I took Nessie's hand and pulled her off the bed so she was standing in front of me.

"Jake if you don't have a present, it's no big deal, really" she insisted. I ignored her, taking both her hands in mine and sucking in a deep breath. I knelt before her.

"Nessie, you know I love you. I promise you that I will walk this earth for millennia if it means I get to be with you. I'm the luckiest man in the world for every single second you choose to spend by my side… Renesmee, will you be my wife?" I held the box in my hand and opened it to reveal the small diamond ring. She stared at it for what seemed like forever. Tears began streaming down her cheeks and she threw her arms around my neck and whispered "Yes" into my ear. I pulled her back and kissed her passionately on the lips. When I slipped the ring on her third finger it was the happiest moment of my life.

Our family and friends may have thought we were rushing into marriage, after being together less than a year, but from my perspective I'd been with Nessie for seven years. There wasn't a single day in her life when I didn't belong to her in one way or another. We hugged and kissed a while longer and then my stomach growled. Nessie laughed and pulled away from our embrace. I didn't want to let her out of my arms.

"Time for the werewolf to finish his breakfast" she shrugged and held her hand to admire the ring.

"It looks good on you" I smirked while loading my fork up with more eggs.

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you, too. Forever" I replied.

We drove into town that morning at Ness' suggestion. We parked along Main Street and wandered in and out of the little mom and pop shops that lined the street. Mountain Home did have some interesting history to offer. We toured the town's museum and learned all about the Train Wreck of 1958. And we made out on the secluded second floor of the Mountain Home Public Library. Throughout the day Ness and I discussed our engagement. We talked about what kind of wedding we wanted, how to tell everyone the news, and where we'd live after the wedding. A thrill of excitement ran through my body when she suggested moving into my apartment. I couldn't wait until the day I could wake up with her every morning. As happy as it made me, I felt guilty knowing I'd soon be taking her away from Bella and Edward.

We were sitting at table by the window in a small bistro a little after lunchtime. I knew we needed a game plan for when I dropped her off at home later today.

"I know they'll be surprised. I mean, I was!" she said.

"There's no easy way to do it, I guess. Your dad will know before we even get in the house" I replied taking her hand in mine. She gave it a little squeeze.

"We could call him from your apartment, that way we'd be able to explain without him reading our thoughts" she suggested.

"True, but you know Edward… he'd probably be insulted if we didn't go to him in person."

"Is he going to be mad you didn't ask his permission first?" she wondered.

"Hard to say, but I know he never asked Charlie for your mom's hand. At least we've got that going for us" I joked.

We could spend all afternoon planning out the best approach to breaking our news to Edward, the bottom line was he would be pissed regardless. I just didn't know which one of us he'd take his emotions out on. I hoped for Nessie's sake it would be me. I could handle Edward.

Ness took the final sip of her soda and stood up. "All right" she said "time to face the music?"

I nodded and cracked a little smile. I motioned to the door. "After you."

Bella greeted us when we returned home that afternoon. We shuffled into the living room and I grasped Nessie's left hand to temporarily hide the ring.

"Where's Dad?" Nessie asked. Bella looked slightly alarmed but casually answered that he was in the back yard with Emmett and Jasper. Alice and Rosalie appeared from nowhere and glided over to us.

"What's going on?" Alice asked under her breath. She hated not being the first one to know everything. I felt Ness try to pull her left hand out of mine and I realized how tightly I'd been holding it.

"Jacob gave me something today. He had wanted to wait until our one year anniversary but the timing was just perfect this morning so I got it a little early…" Ness began, warming up the crowd of women that had gathered. They were all listening intently to her words but had their eyes focused on me. Bella was the only one still looking at Ness.

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked, confused.

Nessie loosened her hand from mine and held it up for all her female relatives. Everyone gasped and then Alice shrieked in excitement. She stepped into the center of the circle that had formed around Nessie and I and hugged us both at once. Her reaction alerted Edward and the other guys that something was happening inside and I could hear them approaching. Esme offered her congratulations. Bella still hadn't said anything; she kept her eyes fixed on her daughter.

"What do you think Mom?" Ness asked.

"Think about what?" Edward inquired as he came to stand next to Bella.

"Are you sure it's not too soon, honey?" Bella began. "Like you said, it hasn't even been a year." Edward's eyes widened as he realized what had happened, but he didn't look angry- yet.

"Yes, I'm sure. And we already agreed to have a long engagement. I want to finish with the school year and graduation before we start planning the wedding… Please, Mom. I need you to be happy for us."

Edward still hadn't made a sound. He must have been sorting through everyone else's thoughts. Bella looked at Nessie with sad eyes and sighed.

"Come here, Renesmee, of course I'm happy for you." She wrapped Ness in a hug and said, "It's not easy for me to see you all grown up but of course I'm happy for you. It wasn't that long ago for me and your father. We remember what it was like."

I could tell Nessie had started to cry as she hugged her mother tightly. I felt relief wash over me at Bella's response.

"Thanks, Bells" I said softly. All eyes turned to Edward. Nessie took a step back from Bella and looked up at her father.

"Dad?" she asked hesitantly.

Everyone waited for him to speak. He didn't say a word. Nessie reached out and put her hand on his. I was sure she was using her gift to show him how she felt about me. I hoped that plan wouldn't backfire. Sometimes Ness got carried away and showed people more than she intended. Finally, he allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch upwards and reached out to take Nessie into a hug. Everyone sighed in relief and the pixie started shrieking again and clapping her hands. You would have thought she was the one getting married.

The rest of the evening went rather smoothly. I sat in the living room with Bella, Esme, and Alice and discussed wedding plans. When Edward had finally spoken he asked Nessie to have a word with him in private, but assured me he wasn't angry. He even claimed that he'd known that I purchased the ring but I knew I'd done a really good job about not thinking about that around him. I'd bet he just didn't want anyone thinking it was possible to slip something that huge past him. Alice wanted to know if we'd picked a date yet, what colors Nessie might want, and how many guests could she invite. I kept insisting she wait until Nessie was there but Alice was too far gone to see reason. Rosalie came downstairs with some old bridal magazines and the pair started leafing through them.

I rolled my eyes at Bella and made a face. She nodded her head in agreement and smiled.

"I'm gonna go make a sandwich" I announced and Bella decided to escape with me to the kitchen. I was glad because I wanted to get her real opinion on things. I pulled some meat and cheese out of the gigantic refrigerator and set them down on the counter.

"Are you really okay with this, Bells?" I asked as I slapped some mayo down on four slices of white. She looked at me incredulously.

"You think I didn't see this coming, Jake? Nessie confides in me. I know how she feels about you. And I've known since she was born where those feelings would lead."

"She twalks to yew?" I said with my mouth full. What kinds of things does Nessie tell her?

"Of course. She can't talk to her friends at school about her werewolf boyfriend" Bella said with a smirk. I shrugged. I guess she couldn't.

"Well, thanks Bella, really. I know it can't be easy having your daughter get married and move out at eight years old" I said.

Her expression told me she hadn't thought far enough ahead to realize Nessie would be moving in with me after the wedding. I didn't get a chance to respond because just then Ness and Edward came into the kitchen. Nessie had fresh tears in her eyes but she looked happy. She skipped over to me and gave me a kiss. "Everything okay?" I asked under my breath. She smiled and said yes.

I figured it was time to go to let Nessie have some time with her family. She walked me outside and gave me a passionate kiss goodbye. I wrapped my arms around her and deepened the kiss. It was hard to let go of her but I stepped back to look into her eyes.

"What did Edward need to talk to you about?" I asked nervously.

"He just told me he loved me, and that I would always be a little girl in his eyes. He said he's heard all your thoughts and knows you'll do right by me" she answered with a chuckle. Edward tried to give the impression of being a stern father but when it came right down to it he was just like the rest of us where Nessie was concerned. He was putty in her hands. She kissed me again and we said our goodnights. I knew I'd see her the next day but I already felt empty without her near me.

When I got home I ran out into the woods to phase. I hadn't done so in a while and wanted to check in with the guys. Last time I'd talked to the pack was about a month ago. After I moved away Quil had been chosen to lead the pack because of his ancestry. According to Seth, he was doing a good job as Alpha. Things had been pretty quiet since the Cullen's left town. No new members had been added to the pack in a long time. I usually just called or texted one of the guys for pack updates but tonight I was really excited and wanted to share my news wolf-style. Once in the darkness of the woods behind my apartment building I took my clothes off and phased. Paul and Seth were the only ones on patrol at the moment.

_Hey guys, long time no see. _ I greeted them.

_Jake? Hey man! What's up?_ Said Seth.

_Hey kid. Just checking in. How's everything down on the res?_ I responded.

_Everything's calm and peaceful now that your 'friends' are gone._ Said Paul.

_How's Nessie?_ Seth asked.

_She's well. That's what I wanted to tell you guys… We're getting married._ I said.

_Whoa! Congrats! That's awesome, man._ They said at the same time.

_Thank you. Paul, don't say anything to my sister, okay? I want to tell her and my dad myself._ I said.

_Yeah, no problem. When are you going to tell them?_ Paul asked.

_I don't know. How are they? Seth, how's Paul been treating my sister?_ I joked but kinda meant it.

_Real good, Jake. He's been less of an asshole lately for sure._ Seth replied.

_Rachel thinks your dad's been kinda lonely but she visits him a lot. So does Charlie._ Paul answered.

I knew he'd feel that way when I left and I felt the guilt hit me finally hearing it was true. I should call him more.

_He'll be okay, Jake. My mom and Charlie are with him a lot. He's doing better than she thought._ Seth tried to comfort me.

_Sure, sure._ I replied. _Alright fellas, I gotta get some sleep. Tell the other guys I said hello._

_Okay, bye man. Congratulations._ Paul said.

_Bye, Jake! Tell Edward I said 'what's up!"_ Said Seth.

_Bye._ I phased back and got dressed. Damn, it's cold in Idaho. Even in the snowy mountains in Washington I didn't get this cold. I ran back to my apartment and changed into my sweatpants. I put my phone on the nightstand and plugged it in to charge. Just as I was lying down I heard a text message come in. It was from Rachel.

_You're engaged!_

Urghh, freaking Paul!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here's another lemony chapter, so beware! There's some language too. Hope you like… please review!**

Chapter Eleven: Breaking Some Rules

After Paul's little long distance prank I knew I needed to visit my father and sister. I hadn't seen them since December when I went back to Forks on my own for the holidays. It had been awful being so far from Nessie for that long so for this visit I asked her to join me. I figured a four day trip would suffice. One day of travel each way, and we'd get two days to catch up with my family.

I'd spoken with Rachel on the phone after Paul pretended to spill the beans on my big news. Turns out he just took Rachel's cell out of her purse and sent the message to me without her knowing. Needless to say Rach was a little surprised to hear from me the following morning.

"Jacob? Why are you calling me at… 8:30 in the morning?" she said, her voice still groggy with sleep.

"Geeze, sis. I thought you'd be dying for all the details about your little brother getting engaged but maybe I should have called Rebecca first" I teased.

"What! Jacob, are you serious? You proposed to Nessie? Oh my God, congratulations little brother!"

"Damnit Paul! He really didn't tell you last night? That son of a bitch." What did I ever do to him? Seriously... I could hear Rachel laughing on the other end of the phone.

"Don't be mad Jake, you know how Paul is."

"Whatever. Just don't tell anyone else, okay? I'm gonna come see you and dad. I owe him a visit anyway, and then I can tell him in person."

"Okay, okay, I won't ruin the surprise. Now, tell me everything! Please?"

A few days later, Ness and I were hanging out at my apartment planning the trip and trying to get some studying in. Or at least that had been the plan when she came over after school. I had a midterm in my American History course that I needed to ace in order to keep up my GPA. Nessie had a paper due the day we would get home so she wanted to have it written before we left. We decided to leave on a Friday and return home on Monday. I didn't have classes Fridays and Ness was so far ahead of her classmates that missing two days wouldn't put her behind. I was expecting Edward to put up a little more of a fight about us going away together but I suppose he knew we'd be sleeping at Billy's house and be busy visiting Charlie, Sam and Emily, Quil, Embry, and on and on.

Ness was just lying there on my sofa, feet crossed at the ankle, doing her homework. I was lounging in a chair across the room trying to focus on the chapter in my text detailing the American Experiment. I looked up from my book to see her staring at me. I smirked and shifted my eyes back to my work. If she wanted something from me she'd have to come and get it. Edward never did say anything about how far Ness and I had gone last weekend. I didn't want to push my luck, what with him taking the engagement so well. Ness saw it as an opportunity to push our boundaries some more. It's really to my credit I made it as long as I did, four whole days, considering the sexy little skirt she had on.

Alice had gone shopping again and bought her some new clothes for the trip. Ness knew this was our last chance at alone time before we left for Forks and I knew there wasn't any paper writing going on over there. I took another peek at her with a smile on my face knowing when my eyes reached hers they'd still be fixed on me. She didn't disappoint.

"How's that paper coming, Miss Cullen?" I teased in my husky voice.

"Just fine" she answered before standing and gracefully gliding over to my side. She collapsed to her knees at my feet and wasted no time ripping the book out of my lap.

"What are you doing?" I playfully asked although I already knew where her mind was at… the same place her mind was ever at these days.

Her only answer was her hands gripping my knees and sliding them up and down my thighs. She leaned forward for a kiss. This was my chance to throw cold water on her little act of seduction but what can I say, I'm a weak, weak man. I kissed her back, slow at first and then more forceful as her grip tightened on my upper thighs. I wrapped my arms around her neck and ran my fingers through her soft bronze hair. I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me as she reached for the buttons of my jeans. I tried to pull her into my lap but she was determined to get into my pants, literally. Once she had the zipper down, she pulled my throbbing length from the confines of the boxer shorts. I groaned and let my head fall back on the chair. She wrapped her hand around my shaft and slid her thumb across the tip. Whatever her plan was, I was powerless to stop her. The sensations I felt from having Nessie's hand on me left me speechless. My lips moved but no sound came out. Something inside my head told me to stop her but I quickly pushed that thought aside and let her have her way. She pumped her hand up and down my shaft in a sinfully erotic rhythm. After a few moments she stopped, her fist still clenching me at the base. I opened my eyes just as she was leaning her head down between my legs.

"Ness, wait" I panted. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and then licked my dick from the base to the tip and sucked off the juices that escaped with a swift swirl of her tongue. Now, I had obviously handled myself before, which couldn't compare to the feeling of Ness' hands on me, but when her soft, warm tongue grazed my length I thought I was going to lose it right there. I let out an embarrassingly rasping moan that shook my entire body. She took that as a cue to continue and before I could say another word her lips were around me and she had moved both hands back to my thighs. She took me deep into her mouth and started sucking while still swirling her tongue around. I felt the urge to thrust forward to get deeper inside. I rested a hand gently on the side of her neck and raised my hips to meet her movements. Ness let out a soft moan that told me she was enjoying this too. I wasn't going to last long at all. Her right hand came back to grip me at the base where her mouth couldn't reach and the combination sent me spiraling out of control. I felt my muscles tightening as I braced for my climax.

"Oh, fuck" I yelled as the waves of pleasure washed over me. I released my seed into her mouth and she swallowed every drop. I shuttered as the orgasm slowly subsided and she let go of my cock. "Fuck" I said again, lacking the brain power to come up with anything else, my head resting on the back on the chair. I opened my eyes and took Nessie's hands in mine while my breathing returned to normal. I sat forward and wrapped her in a hug sweetly kissing her neck and ear. She put her hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes before whispering, "I love you."

"I love you too" I responded and kissed her on the lips.

First thing the next morning we hit the road. It was a long drive but we arrived in Forks around dinnertime Friday. I started getting nervous as we crossed the city limits. Sam and the other pack members who've imprinted understand why I left and accepted my decision. Others, who didn't, namely Leah, still felt betrayed by my decision to step down as Alpha and leave the reservation. If I was lucky, Leah didn't even know I was in town.

I pulled up in front of my childhood home and realized for the first time how small it was. Rachel's car was parked out front so it didn't surprise me to see her running out to greet us.

"Hey, Rach" I smiled as she gave me a hug. I twirled my big sister around lifting her off the ground. It felt good to be with my family again. I'd never let Nessie know, but I did get homesick once in a while. Rachel waved us into the house where my father was waiting in the living room. He tried to offer me his hand but I was having none of that and wrapped him in a hug. Nessie followed in behind me and greeted him the same. Rachel was in the middle of making dinner so she excused herself to the kitchen to stir the pasta.

"Sam and Emily are on their way over. Charlie too" Billy warned. I laughed and looked at Nessie.

"They don't waste any time do they?" I said.

"Maybe we should wait until they get here to tell Billy our news, huh Jake?" Ness suggested so low only I could hear. I nodded slightly.

"So, where's Paul?" I called to Rachel. She came out of the kitchen holding a dishtowel.

"He'll be here soon. He's just finishing up at the shop."

"What shop?" I asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Embry didn't tell you?" she questioned. "Paul and Quil helped Embry start a little auto body shop at the gas station on Main Street."

That was news to me, and it kinda bummed me out. I had been planning on helping Em start a shop. I'd never considered that he would still see it through even after my mad skills left town.

"What does Paul know about cars?" I asked, glowering at my sister.

"He knows a little and he's learning. He mostly handles the orders and office stuff" Rachel replied.

I sat down on the couch to process that and pulled Nessie down next to me. We chatted with my dad and after a little while Sam, Emily, and their two sons came in. Emily was carrying their younger son in her arms. Their 4 year old, Luke, ran right to me and jumped in my lap. I hugged him and told him how much he'd grown. Ness tried to offer her seat to Emily but she shook her head.

"I have some food to bring in to Rachel. Nessie, can you hold Adam?" Emily asked. Nessie nodded and took the sleeping infant from her. Luke was telling me all about his preschool when I heard Billy chuckle. I looked up to see his face beaming and he raised his eyebrows when my eyes met his.

"You two a quite a sight with those kids on your laps" he joked and winked at me.

I glanced over at Nessie rocking the baby in her arms. I had to admit I agreed with my father. She looked so beautiful holding a baby. I thought a lot about having a family with Nessie someday. I looked forward to it like I looked forward to every day I'd get to spend with her. I always pictured our future family the same way. I could see myself being woken up in the morning by our children jumping on our bed. I'd get them breakfast and Ness would walk them to the school bus. I could picture us sitting down at the dinner table every night, three little brown haired children regaling us in the events of their day. I'd tuck them in at bedtime kissing each one on the forehead and then creep into our bedroom to quietly make love to Nessie, hoping not to wake them.

I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Ness when I heard the front door again. It was Charlie. Sam took the baby from Ness and she ran over to give her grandfather a hug. He looked good. Sue Clearwater must be taking proper care of him.

We had a nice dinner, over which we shared our news. Everyone was very happy for us. Emily and Sam were probably the most surprised. Charlie even took it well. He couldn't wrap his mind around how his 7 year old granddaughter was getting married, but by now he knew better than to even try to understand. Once everyone said their goodnights I made up the sofa for what would be a guaranteed restless night sleep. Nessie was preparing for bed in my room, as I had insisted. There was no way I was letting her take the couch.

My father came out to say goodnight and saw that I was alone on the makeshift sofa bed. He stared at me the way parents do sometimes, maybe remembering them as young children or trying to see in their expressions whether or not they're happy. Billy seemed to be thinking both. I assured him that I was the happiest I'd ever been. He agreed that Nessie and I were lucky to have each other and that he was happy for us, no matter how far away our relationship took me. I thanked him and started turning down the sheets but he rolled closer to me.

"You know, I'm a lot hipper than Charlie. If you want to sleep in your room I won't say anything" he whispered and tilted his head in the direction of my bedroom where Nessie was.

"Dad!" I whispered back. "It's not like that with us. But thanks."

He laughed. "Just keeping it real, son." I rolled my eyes and patted the old man's shoulder before he turned and headed back towards his room.

I fell asleep easier than I thought that night, exhausted from the long drive, but I tossed and turned and woke up around 1am. I decided to check on Nessie, hoping she was sleeping better than I was. I tiptoed to my bedroom door and poked my head inside the room. She looked like an angel, curled up in my old bed with the sheets tossed to the floor. My father had assured me he didn't care about our sleeping arrangements and I couldn't resist the warmth of my fiancé's tiny frame so I quickly crossed the room and slid in beside her. I figured I could control my urges as well as I did any other night. We shared my bed at home all the time and she was already asleep. Ness adjusted herself to my presence and snuggled up against my shoulder. I put one arm around her, positive that I'd be able to sleep now that I was with her.

What felt like just a few minutes later I woke again to find Nessie kissing my neck. I thought she would have been startled to find me next to her but she seemed more than pleased. I was still trying to shake off the sleepiness as my mind registered her hand creeping down my side.

"Ness, did I wake you?" I asked confused.

"Mmm, I was dreaming about you, Jake. Then I woke up and you were here" she replied with a tone in her voice I knew all too well.

I didn't have the energy or will power to deny her anything in that moment. Besides, she was my fiancée now, damnit. If she wanted to feel me up in the middle of the night in my childhood bedroom I was going to let her. I tilted my neck back to give her more access and slid my hand under her shirt grazing the skin at her waist. She let out a soft moan and inched herself closer until she was lying over me. My right hand joined my left at her waist and I started rubbing up and down her sides.

"What was I doing in your dream, honey?" I asked. It must have been something good because she sat back straddling my hips and pulled her t-shirt off over her head. I gasped when I saw her bare-chested in front of me. It was pitch dark in the room but that didn't stop me from seeing every gentle curve of her torso and the soft milky skin of her breasts. My cock throbbed with desire. This woman was going to drive me to my wits end.

Her hands rested on my chest for balance as she pressed her hips down against my erection. My hands darted up to cup her breasts massaging them tenderly. Ness raised her arms over her head and ran her fingers through her hair pulling the loose pieces away from her face. I couldn't believe how sensual this pose was, her back arched and her breasts pushed outward for me to admire. She moaned in pleasure when I rubbed my thumbs over her nipples raising them to tight points. She started grinding her center against my hardened cock and that was when I had to start concentrating on delaying my release. All I could think about was the very thin layers of cotton separating us and if she kept moaning like that I was going to come right in my pants.

I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her pajama bottoms and she immediately lifted her body so I could pull them down. She rolled to her side kicking them off and grabbed my cock with her hand at the same time. Damn, there was no stopping her tonight, she was on a mission. Ness pumped me a few times before sliding her hand underneath my boxers. The change of sensations sent my heart flying and I leaned towards her catching her lips with mine. Her breathing was labored when I broke the string of kisses to concentrate on her neck. I pulled myself back, out of the reach of her hand. I wanted to take my time with her tonight. She moaned at the loss of both my lips and cock but I quickly made up for it with my hand on her sex. I palmed her mound over her panties and her hips rose to meet my hand. I took one of her nipples between my lips and sucked it into my mouth.

"Oh, Jake" she moaned.

Hearing her say my name like that made me want to rip those panties right off and take her. I had a feeling she wouldn't have stopped me either. I rubbed circles over her clit and felt how damp they had become. I moved my mouth to her other breast and teased the nipple in the same way, licking circles around the tip and sucking gently until she moaned again. My fingers traveled down passed her clit and pushed against her heat. I knew what she wanted so I pushed the cotton fabric out of my way and plunged my middle finger deep inside her. She groaned under my hand and her nails dug into my back. I continued to kiss every inch of skin my lips could reach as I worked my finger inside her. She was gasping and whimpering my name, lifting her hips to meet my hand with each thrust. Ness' hands moved to the back of my head and threaded through my hair tightly. She held my face against her chest as I felt her muscles start to constrict around my finger. I knew she was close. I turned my wrist so my thumb could rub her clit which made her body convulse and she screamed through her orgasm.

"Oh, shit Jake. Fuuuck!" she yelled.

"Shhhhhh, baby" I responded quietly though I wished I could tell her to scream louder. I loved watching the waves of pleasure roll through her body knowing I was the one to bring it out of her. She moaned a few more times as her body settled and her breathing slowed.

I cradled her in my arms and kissed her forehead. My dick was still hard as a rock, pressed against her stomach. We seemed to notice at the same time and as soon as she'd caught her breath, Ness shimmied her way down my body, clawing my chest as she went. My breath caught in my throat as the sudden anticipation overwhelmed me. She ripped my boxers clean off my body letting the shreds of material fall to the floor.

"Fuck, Ness" I mumbled.

Kneeling between my now spread legs, the most beautiful woman in the world looked into my eyes and smiled. Then, she licked her lips and lowered her head without breaking our eye contact as she surrounded my length with her mouth. Watching her take me in like that, with her eyes on mine, was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen her do. Her tongue seemed to dance over my sensitive skin as she swirled it around my cock. I shut my eyes tight and clenched my fists around the sheets. She didn't have to work me for long; I'd been trying to hold back my excitement since we began. I felt myself harden impossibly tighter and I could sense the heat escaping from my skin.

"Oh, honey. Oh, Ness" I chanted incoherently.

Without warning she grabbed the base of my length with one hand, cupped by balls with the other, and I was done for. I groaned deeply as my release overtook my body leaving me temporarily paralyzed. I shook as her tongue slid over my tip collecting the last of my juices and I sighed as she pulled away only to snuggle against my side. I still couldn't move but I managed to wrap my arm around her shoulder.

"You, Nessie, are a naughty girl" I said breathlessly. She giggled softly at my observation.

The next morning I certainly had a bounce in my step. I also did not think I could ever show my thoughts in front of Edward again. Either that, or Bella would have to shield me for the rest of my existence. Ness wasn't as concerned about it as I was. Figures.

That day we hung out with Embry, Seth, and Quil. Nessie got to meet Embry's girlfriend and they got along well. Ness could get along with anyone. It was just the kind of person she was. We hung out at First Beach and had a bonfire later that night. It felt good to be in a familiar place, doing the kinds of activities I'd experienced my whole life. The guys asked us about our plans for the wedding and about our life in Idaho. I was happy to hear that everyone on the res was doing well. Apparently, Leah was her usual bitchy self and had been asking Quil regularly if she could leave the pack. He hadn't made any decisions about that yet, he said. He mentioned a lone vampire had come through the region a few weeks ago but didn't stop to feed or come near the town. It was the most excitement they'd had in months. Embry had wished that the leech would have tried crossing through LaPush just so they could have had a little fun.

Sunday we spent with my dad, Rachel, and Paul. I was surprised to hear Rachel and Paul were trying to have a baby already. I rather liked the idea of being called Uncle Jake. Before I knew it Monday morning had arrived and I was once again saying goodbye to my loved ones. All things considered, I had to say that it was a successful trip.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Graduation

The next few months passed quickly and before I knew it Nessie was graduating high school. It was her first graduation and we planned on celebrating by going to a party at her friend Ashley's house. Her parents were throwing her a big bash since she had been accepted to Drexel.

Ness looked amazing that night. Alice and Rosalie spent hours with her upstairs in the bathroom doing God knows what to her. Blondie called it a practice run for the wedding. The thought of Ness in a wedding dress walking down the aisle to meet me gave me butterflies as I sunk into the living room sofa to wait for her. We set the date for the wedding to be November 17th in Port Angeles. We couldn't risk all of us going back to Forks for the wedding and it made sense not to host our kind of guests in Mountain Home either. Alice found a great reception hall by the water in Port Angeles and everyone was happy with the location. Six months felt like a very long ways away. We wanted to wait until after Ness' next birthday which was September, and having it take place in November meant the wedding would be about a year after we supposedly started dating, as far as the town folk knew. Hiding our relationship from everyone in Idaho when we were dating was horrible. I refused to hide our marriage. I discussed several different ideas with Carlisle and Edward. The plan was to tell anyone who asked that Nessie and I eloped to Port Angeles and married on the one year anniversary of becoming a couple. It seemed plausible and romantic to me. Everyone agreed it was the best story.

I was flipping channels when Edward walked into the room. He offered me a glass of soda.

"Thanks" I said.

"I thought I might take this opportunity to talk with you, Jacob. The girls are bound to be a few more minutes up there" he said casually. Uh oh. His face was calm, expressionless as he stared at me.

There was only one subject Edward ever wanted to discuss with me privately. All the time that had passed since Ness and I started… expressing our love a bit more physically Edward had never said a word about it, at least to me. If he said anything to Nessie she acted like he hadn't. At this point I kind of figured he'd tried to bring it up but decided it was too awkward a conversation to have. The farthest we'd pushed the rules was on our trip to Forks and we were engaged by then so maybe he was giving me a break. He looked at me sternly. Ok, maybe not.

"Look Edward, I know I promised you a 'PG' relationship until I married her. And I really am sorry that I haven't kept that promise flawlessly. You know I love her, and respect her, and am not pushing her at all." I raised my hands defensively, drink still in hand.

"Jacob, we agreed on these terms for a specific purpose. I understand you both have grown up in a different world than me; you share the same world as Bella. I faced similar challenges with her that you are now facing in trying to keep your word. The difference between the two has always been the unknown factors in Nessie's development."

He was talking about her being such a unique creature. When Nahuel had saved our butts a few years back he stayed with the Cullen's for a while discussing with Carlisle and Edward everything he knew about his kind. We were extremely relieved to hear that Ness would stop aging after 6 or 7 years having the appearance of a young adult. And that since Nahuel was still kicking we could assume Nessie would have an extended life if not an eternal one as well. He did mention repeatedly how certain aspects of his growth differed from his sisters and he didn't know the cause. Edward was of course troubled by this uncertainty.

So, basically Edward and Bella were worried about how to gauge Nessie's emotional maturity. Would it maintain the same pace as her intellectual and physical growth? Nahuel couldn't say. Seeing how he eyed her up even as a toddler I was more than comfortable agreeing to Edwards terms back then. The longer Nahuel would have to wait before making a play for her love the better. Over the years, it was obvious Nessie's affection lay with me and Nahuel had backed off honorably.

"I realize her emotional maturity has always trailed her physical development, Edward, but you have to admit her features haven't changed in over a year. She's done growing and her mind is just as mature as her body" I defended myself, trying not to give him any examples of how I knew that was the case.

I couldn't help thinking about how Ness had been the one to initiate most of our trysts. If anyone was the hesitant, inexperienced one whose limits were being pushed it was me for crying out loud! Edward shook his head, not in disagreement, but like he was trying to will away disturbing images.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying not to think about the details. Listen, we're going to wait until the wedding to, _you know_, so can't we just agree to new terms based on what we now know about Nessie?"

I meant that she's fully grown emotionally, not that she's surprisingly eager to explore the "PG-13" territory.

"I'll concur with that request, Jacob. You promise me it won't go any further until the wedding and I won't bring it up again" he said cautiously. Then he sighed in defeat.

"I want you to know my concerns are also the same as any human father. We know Renesmee can bear children, and I… I remember my own reaction to Bella's pregnancy. It was quite a shock and for far too long I wasn't the man Bella needed me to be. I still have regrets about my actions during those times. I want you two to enjoy every moment of your lives together, truly" he concluded.

Edward had never been so honest with me before. I really appreciated his perspective for once. I remembered that time too. And I understood what he was saying.

"You have my word" I replied simply. He nodded and walked out of the room.

Finally, Nessie escaped Alice and Rose's clutches and we left for the party. We arrived at Ashley's house a little after 8 o'clock and many of Nessie's classmates were already there. We talked to all of Nessie's friends about what schools they were going to and what their summer plans were. Ashley ran up to us at some point and dragged Ness away by the arm. Girl talk, no doubt. I was on my own but at least I was near the food. Sadie, the girl that had a crush on me, wasted no time after seeing me standing alone to come over to chat. She seemed pleased to learn that I was studying at the local community college. She was going there too. Super. I commented how Ness and I were taking some courses together in the fall semester.

I was about to excuse myself when suddenly there were two Sadie's standing in front of me. I squinted with my eyes and tried to focus. I looked around the room and realized I was seeing two of everything. I closed my eyes and opened them again slowly and everything settled back into its proper place. That was weird, I thought. I felt a little dizzy and told Sadie I needed to sit down.

"Are you okay, Jake?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, I think so. Can you do me a favor and find Nessie?" I asked her.

"Sure. Don't move. I'll be right back" she said as she walked off into the crowd of teenagers.

I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. For a minute I thought maybe Edward had poisoned my drink back at the house. Ha Ha. No, I shook my head. We had a good talk and things were cool between us. Of course, I drank most of it _before_ we started talking… but no, he wouldn't do that to Nessie. I just felt sick, like I had the flu or something. I couldn't remember the last time I'd caught a cold. My head was pounding and the party lights hurt my eyes. I heard Nessie calling me. She was still across the room but I could hear her. She made her way through the crowd and knelt by my side. Sadie was right behind her with a glass of water. She handed it to me and I thanked her. I took a sip. It didn't help my dizziness but did make me notice my throat was sore.

"My throat is sore" I complained. "And I can't see straight."

"Can you walk, Jacob? I'll drive you home so Carlisle can take a look at you" she replied.

"Okay. Yes, I can walk. I think I'm sick" I grumbled.

"Geez, Jake. You make it seem like you've never caught a cold before" Sadie chuckled.

Ness and I just stared at her. Then I stood up and the two of them helped me to the car. It was very embarrassing, having to lean my enormous body on Nessie's petite frame for support. I tried not to put my weight on Sadie. I felt a hand graze my ass and I hoped it had been Nessie's. I guessed that it wasn't but didn't have the energy to protest. When we got inside my apartment I crashed on the couch. My bed was just too far away. Ness immediately called Carlisle and he said he'd be right over along with Esme and Bella. Great, both the Mother Hens were coming.

Ness looked really worried while we waited for them to arrive. She sat perched on the edge of the couch and rubbed my hair. It felt nice so I closed my eyes. She wasn't used to people getting sick. I tried to reassure her but inside I was just as worried as she was. It came on so quickly and I could tell my temperature was higher than normal.

When the Doc arrived he checked me out and asked a lot of questions. Esme got a damp washcloth for my head and Bella held Nessie's hand. Those two never took their eyes off me. I must have looked bad. I was getting tired and just wanted to sleep but my stomach was tied up in knots and I was starting to sweat.

"What's wrong with him, Carlisle?" Esme asked with genuine concern in her sweet voice. It made me feel good.

"I'm not sure yet" Carlisle responded. "Jacob. When was the last time you were ill?"

"Had the chicken pox in 2nd grade, Doc." I don't know why I thought that was relevant. It was the last time I felt so helpless. I felt the room spinning again and thought I might throw up. Esme brought me a trashcan.

"What about when you had mono?" Bella whispered. I looked at her and understood what she was hinting. Before my first phase, when the fever set in, Billy had told people I was down with mono. Carlisle asked me if that had been after my change.

"I never actually had mono, that's just what we told people, it was the first time I phased. I got real sick and had a high fever when I became a werewolf. It happened to all the guys, lasts about a week." All this talking was exhausting me. I wished he'd just give me some Advil or Pepto and let me sleep. I closed my eyes.

I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes again everyone was sitting at my kitchen table, except Nessie, who was stroking my arm with her fingertips. She faked a smile for my benefit. I felt noticeably cooler than before; I thought maybe the doc had finally given me something.

"So what's the verdict?" I asked turning my head towards Carlisle. He stood up and crossed the room to stand by my side.

"Jacob, we think you're experiencing another change. I've discussed your symptoms with Bella and from what she understands about werewolves it seems to be what you're suffering from" he said coolly, like that wasn't the worst news he could give me. My head started hurting as if I'd been hit by an anvil or something.

"Sure, sure. What am I becoming now, Doc? A zombie?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, Son. You're becoming human."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Yikes! Ok, I got a little heat last chapter for turning Jacob human again! I explain my theory of why he won't be a werewolf anymore in this chapter, but I have a feeling the heat will be coming back after this chap too… :-/ **

**Don't hate me! There's a method to my madness… and I wanted to do something different than most other Jacob & Nessie stories on FF… and I promise a happy ending. **

**Thanks so much for reading!**

Chapter Thirteen: Now He Tells Me

"Why didn't you tell me that before, Sam?" I shouted. Well, I couldn't really shout. I was still too weak. It was more than a whisper which was the best I could do at the moment. Nessie was playing nursemaid to me like I was a dying animal. Apparently, that's exactly what was happening to the animal inside me. It had been four days since the graduation party and Ness hadn't left my side for a moment. She cooked my meals, kept me company, and even helped me shower.

I was starting to feel a little better so I called Sam that afternoon to ask him about his experience when he gave up his wolf and left the pack. If Carlisle's theory was correct, Sam Uley was the only one who could help me. Sam married Emily five years ago and they had Luke a little over a year later. After Adam joined the family Emily convinced him it was time to give up his pack obligations and focus on the family. I took over as Alpha and everyone wished Sam well. He was the first to attempt to quit the pack life and he never expressed any problems in doing so. We all assumed there were none.

While on the phone, he explained to me that he stopped phasing and for a few months felt fine. Then he started noticing subtle changes in his wolf senses. Finally, the fever set in just as it had at the beginning. He said it went on for a few days, like he had a really bad flu. When it was over, his temperature was down to 101. While still above average, his hearing and sight were no longer supernatural, and he knew he couldn't phase anymore.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I would have said something if I'd known you were trying to stop phasing" Sam said.

"I'm not! That's the problem. Why is this happening?" I whisper shouted again. It didn't slip my notice that although I was very angry my body hadn't begun to shake at all.

"Well, my guess would be your giving up Alpha and moving away from the pack triggered the change."

"But Sam, I practically live with eight and a half vampires! How could I stop phasing surrounded by that large a coven?" I demanded. It didn't make any sense.

"I was able to quit phasing, Jake. That was long before the Cullen's left Forks." He paused and let that soak in. "How often do you phase out there?" he questioned.

"I- I can't remember the last time. Quil's been updating me with text messages. He says things have been quiet since I left" I answered still confused. When _was _my last phase?

"You mean it's been quiet since your _friends_ left" he jabbed. I ignored that.

"Crap, I know the last time. I phased the night I proposed to Ness. That was February" I admitted. Had it really been that long?

"So three months?" Sam asked. I could hear the surprise in his voice.

"Yes, I guess so. We've just been busy. Ness has been hunting with the others lately because I've been working extra hours at the shop, and we've been planning the wedding. We both just had finals at school. Shit."

"We don't have any records in our history about this, Jake. So I don't know what to tell you. I think it must be due to the length of time you went without a phase. Like it's a muscle you have to exercise regularly. I can't be sure. I suppose we should add this to our records for the next generation of wolves" Sam suggested.

"I was planning on being around to tell them myself, Sam" I groaned.

Realization flooded my mind. If this was all true, I was aging again. Fuuuuuck. I looked over at Nessie. She was sitting quietly on the edge of my bed, listening to our conversation. Her expression was still and lifeless. She didn't even blink. She's never looked so much like a leech before. Or a grieving widow still in shock. I thanked Sam for his advice and told him I had to go. I hung up my phone and went to Nessie's side. When I touched her face with my hand she blinked and looked into my eyes. Then the tears rolled down her cheeks.

I wanted to take her in my arms but I still felt slightly dizzy and weak so I lay down on my bed and she slid back to join me. She buried her head in my chest and sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry because I didn't know what else to do. I knew sometimes girls just needed to cry. When her tears subsided she sniffled and let out a long sigh. I wiped her tears away with my hand and tilted her head up to see my face. I kissed her then. My lips were soft and gentle at first but the kisses quickly grew intense. Nessie squeezed me like she was afraid to let go and I had no intention of pulling back. She kissed me with an urgency I'd never felt from her before. My fingers tangled in her hair and I drew her closer to me. We kissed like that for a long time, until we were both out of breath and our lips were sore. We stayed in bed the rest of the evening and fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, Carlisle came over to take my blood. He said he wanted to run some tests. I didn't need the results. The needle really hurt when it pierced my skin and I could barely smell his vampire stink even though he was standing right in front of me. I couldn't even hear Nessie's heartbeat. I knew the change was complete. We stayed in my apartment all afternoon waiting for Carlisle to call. He finally did as we were washing the dishes from dinner.

"Your tests came back 100% normal. You're completely healthy, and entirely human" Carlisle confirmed. Big surprise. I thanked Carlisle for his help the past week and hung up the phone.

Ness was turned away from me. Putting my hands on her waist I tried to spin her around to face me. She wouldn't budge.

"Ness, talk to me" I pleaded.

I knew she'd been holding back her emotions. She had been so focused on taking care of me the past week that we hadn't talked yet about what this would mean for us. I don't think either of us wanted to think about it. I swallowed my fear and made the first move.

"Renesmee, please tell me what you're thinking. I can't take the silence anymore." I sat at the kitchen table and waited for her to speak.

"You promised me" she whispered. She still hadn't turned around but I could tell she was crying.

"Ness, come sit with me. Let's talk" I said. She finally complied as she glided to the empty chair beside me.

"You promised to love me forever, Jacob. For all eternity. Now you're leaving me. You can't l-le-leave me!" she sobbed, burying her head in her hands. Tears started falling from my eyes as well as I scooted my chair closer to her and threw my arm around her. I'd never experienced such excruciating pain as this, witnessing my soul mate mourn the end of my supernatural life. Nessie didn't know anything about the beauty of a natural human life. Everyone she loved was immortal, until now at least.

"Ness, we'll figure this out. There has to be something we can do" I said trying to comfort her.

I couldn't stand seeing her cry. I didn't think I'd ever seen her like this before. This whole situation had me scared, sure, and angry, and confused, but I didn't feel sad. I mean, I wasn't actually dying. Not for fifty years or more. We had time to come up with a plan.

"What if we moved back to Forks? Maybe being near the pack would help. I could try to get it to happen again" I suggested. She shook her head.

"Sam still lives on the reservation. He sees the guys all the time. He hasn't changed back" she insisted.

"You're right" I admitted.

"And besides, if the solution was to stay near the pack what would we do there, hide on the res forever so no one in town would know we weren't aging? I can't go through that isolation again."

She had a point. There were no vampires left in Forks. And so no new wolves had joined the pack in over a year. Eventually Quil, Embry, and the others will have to stop phasing so no one realizes they haven't aged. Maybe with the threat of vampires gone this generation of wolves was coming to a close. Maybe this was happening to me because every wolf had a lifespan that would someday come to its natural end. I'd have to discuss that theory with Quil later.

I couldn't think of anything else to say. Was there no hope then? Nessie was immortal, and now I was not. Would she still want to marry me? I promised her eternity and now I couldn't give it to her. I felt a sudden pang of insecurity stab me in the chest. I couldn't bear the thought of her leaving me any more than she could stand my leaving her. I still felt the effects of my imprint. It hadn't left me. I had no choice, not that I wanted one, but to love her for the rest of my life. The imprintee always had a choice. What would she choose? Panic set in. My heart started to race and she noticed, looking up at me with red rimmed eyes.

"Ness, does this change your feelings for me? I mean, do you not want to marry me anymore?" I asked so afraid of the answer my hands trembled. She looked at me with a horrified expression.

"How can you ask that, Jacob? I still want to marry you, don't be ridiculous! I _am _going to marry you, Jacob Black. You're right that we can figure this out, together. I'm not wasting a single moment I have left with you!" she exclaimed. She took my face in her hands and kissed me. Her tears started all over again and we sat together until we were both too tired to talk anymore. I carried her to bed and we held each other tightly as we slept.

I woke up the next morning feeling strangely at peace. I'd gotten cold during the night and slept under the covers for the first time in years. I'd forgotten how comforting it is to sleep curled up in between the sheets. I took my morning shower and the water actually felt hot on my skin. It was amazing, like a gentle massage soothing my muscles. When I made breakfast I couldn't hear the Lamberts arguing in the apartment above mine like they usually did every morning. It was strange not having my wolf senses anymore, but felt oddly liberating.

I had to work today. I'd been out "sick" for six days. Nessie was still sleeping when I went in to say goodbye. I kissed her forehead to gently wake her. After the night we had I didn't dare just disappear from the apartment. I let her know I'd be back around 4 and she reminded me she'd made plans with her school friends. I kissed her lips and told her to have a good day. She grinned, her eyes still closed, and rolled over to snuggle my pillow.

The shop was busy that morning. With me out for so long the other guys had gotten backlogged. It felt good to be busy and useful in the garage. I'd always used my garage at home to help clear my head. I was thankful for a long shift so I could do just that. I was feeling better and better as the day wore on. When I got home that night I found a note from Nessie. I liked that she preferred to leave notes instead of sending texts. It's so much more personal receiving a message in her graceful script.

_I hope you've had a good day. I left a plate of food in the fridge. Call you when I get home tonight. Love, Nessie_

I went to find the food she left me, she is the best, and shoved it right in the microwave. As I watched my lasagna rotate and the cheese start the bubble I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Quil. I was interested in hearing his opinion on my theories.

"Jake? Hey man" Quil answered after a few rings. "I was going to call you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm better, thanks. It still feels a little weird though. Um, did Sam tell you much about our conversation yesterday?" I asked. I assumed the entire pack knew all the details by now.

"Yeah, he filled me in. It's crazy, isn't it? There really is no part of this life that's left up to our own choices, eh?" Quil said.

"You're right about that, I don't know why I expected anything different. That's actually what I'm calling about." I pulled my dinner out of the microwave and set it on the table. "We've always known that the pack isn't permanent. Once the threat of vampires is gone, the pack isn't needed anymore, and the traits are passed down in our genes for future generations to start a new pack when the need arises." I paused to take a bite.

"Yeah, so?" Quil pressed.

"Shit! Hot! Ugh, I burned my tongue. So, the Cullen's have been gone for almost a year and in that time there haven't been any new wolves, right?" I asked.

"Right… but none of _us_ have lost the ability to phase" Quil said, sounding like he wasn't following my trail of thought.

"Okay, so maybe every wolf has a lifespan. Maybe Sam didn't just will his wolf away like we all thought. He was the first to phase, maybe that's why he was the first to stop" I suggested.

"But Jake, that doesn't make sense. Jared and Paul phased before you. Why would you be the second to lose it? Neither of them have any of your symptoms."

"Well, that's where my other theory comes in. Since I wasn't interacting with the pack in wolf form for so long it might have accelerated my change" I explained.

"So, you think we're all going to be experiencing the change soon? One by one?" he asked.

"Maybe. I don't know any more than you, Quil. I just wanted to tell you my thoughts and warn you, that's all." He didn't say anything.

"I mean, think of it this way. The purpose of the pack is to protect the people on the reservation without ever revealing the existence of the wolves. But… the wolves don't age which would eventually raise suspicions and threaten the secrecy of the pack. So there must be some kind of process to retire 'old wolves' to protect the pack from exposure."

"I never considered that" Quil said. "We know there was a pack formed when the Cullen's first came to Forks eighty years ago, and none of those pack members are still around" Quil said.

"Right, and the tribe history tells us that when a member stops phasing he will start aging again" I added.

"You might be on to something there, Jacob."

"That's kinda what I was afraid of. If this is the natural progression of the wolf's life, then there's nothing I can do to get it back" I said sullenly.

"I'll talk to the guys about it at our next meeting. I have to get going, I'll let you know if we come up with any more ideas" he replied.

"Sure, sure. Thanks, man. Say hi to Claire for me."

"Will do."

Later that night, I called the Cullen's house because I hadn't heard from Nessie yet and was starting to worry. I'd already tried her cell but there was no answer. I didn't want to alarm Bella or Edward, and I didn't have anyone else's cell numbers, so I called the house line. As it rang I thought about how much it said about my relationship with this family that I didn't even have their phone numbers. In eight years I'd never had reason to call any of them besides Ness and her parents. Finally, someone picked up.

"Yeeelllloooo?" said Emmett.

"Emmett? It's Jake."

"Oh, hey. What are you doing calling this line?" he asked.

"My fiancé isn't answering her cell so I was hoping someone there knew where she was" I said as casually as I could manage.

"Naw, man she's not home yet. She must still be with Carlisle" he replied.

"Carlisle? She told me she was going out with Ashley and Sadie tonight" I responded, all calmness gone from my voice.

Emmett guffawed into the phone. "Looks like you got played, pup… She asked Rose to drive her to the hospital hours ago so she could talk to Carlisle." He laughed some more.

"Thanks for the information. When they get back can you tell her to call me, please?" I asked, annoyed that he found this so humorous.

Why would Ness lie to me? I couldn't think of any reasons for her to be talking to Carlisle either. She must have wanted to talk with him at the hospital for the privacy, so no one in the house could hear. Then I realized it might have something to do with me- with my change. But Carlisle had done everything he could already. He didn't know anything about werewolf legend; all he could do was confirm the changes to my genes and DNA that made me human.

I tried to think positive. Maybe she was asking him for a prescription for birth control. After all this stress lately I really needed to get laid.

I was getting very aggravated by the time I finally heard from Nessie. She didn't call though; she was at my front door. When I opened the door she leapt forward to hug me. Planting a kiss on my chest she pushed past me and waltzed into my apartment like nothing was wrong.

"Hey!" she announced. "What's with you babe, you look weird" she said with a smile.

"Where have you been? I want the truth" I asked trying not to sound like a jealous boyfriend. Er, fiancé.

Her smile sank into a frown and she gave up her act. Emmett must have talked to her. Maybe he called Blondie after I hung up with him.

"Okay, don't be angry" she started, holding her hands up in defense. "I went to see Grandpa at the hospital because I needed his advice."

"Ness, why couldn't you tell me that's where you were going? I don't understand why talking to Carlisle needed to be kept a secret?" I was getting angry. With everything we were dealing with, not being able to trust my future wife was the last thing I needed.

She sighed heavily and flopped down on the sofa. I took a few steps closer to her and waited to hear her explanation.

"I didn't want anyone to know what I was asking him because I was ashamed, and embarrassed, and so afraid of everyone's reaction if they knew. I just wanted to know if it was _possible_. That's all. I swear. I just wanted to know if it would work!" She wasn't making any sense and now she was blushing. Not from embarrassment, but shame.

"Nessie, out with it!" I pleaded. "Is this about us? About my being human again? I know it's not what we planned but I'm really starting to think-" She cut me off.

"Urrgh! Okay, please don't be mad" she begged, pulling my hands down so I was seated next to her. "I asked Grandpa if he thought that since you were totally human again, you might not get poisoned by vampire venom if you were bitten like you would have been before. I asked him if it would be possible for you to become a vampire, Jacob. And he said yes."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

The sun started rising in the east over the mountains before I realized how long I'd been hiding in my car on this deserted road. There was nothing else to call it except hiding. It was a lot easier to run away from my problems when I had four legs. I could have been in the Canadian wilderness by now, but no, instead I was sitting in the Rabbit after it broke down while I was fleeing from the woman I loved. I was pathetic. I was also still mad. So I stayed where I was.

Once the sun was officially up I pulled out my cell and turned it back on. I didn't listen to the voicemails, and there were a lot of them. I just called the one person in the world I wanted to talk to.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bells" I said.

"What's wrong, Jake? Is Nessie alright?" she asked, worried.

"Yes, she's fine. It's me that's falling apart."

"What? Jacob, you're scaring me. What's going on?" she demanded.

"Bells, can you please come pick me up so I can talk to my best friend? I am in serious need of the girl who trips over flat surfaces and drives an old truck… who thinks she's middle aged. I'm talking the slave for life kinda friend, like old times Jake and Bells. And don't tell anyone, please" I begged.

"Anything you want. But I do have to tell Edward, he's lying next to me" she explained. Then she giggled at something he did and I heard her shush him. I rolled my eyes at myself in the rearview mirror.

"Tell him that your best man needs you for a while and you can continue your sexcapades later."

"Jake, we weren't in the middle of… _that_" she assured me.

"Sure, sure. Just take a car so you can give me a ride. And please tell Edward to check on Nessie if she's there, she might need someone to talk to" I replied. I hoped she hadn't stayed at my apartment. I didn't want her to be alone.

"Did you two break up?" she asked, worried again.

"No, this is worse. Just come and I'll explain. I drove north on Canyon Creek Rd and turned right on Tollgate Rd. That's where the Rabbit broke down."

"Okay, I'll find you" she said.

While I waited for Bella I thought over the argument I'd had with Nessie. It was awful. She cried, I cried. Then I just had to get away. I left her alone in my apartment, begging me not to go, but I had to get a break from the fight. We'd never fought like that before. We'd never fought much at all, really. We had always wanted the same things before. Everything else just fell into place as long as we were together. For the first time we were being faced with something we couldn't agree on- separation from one another. I just couldn't believe what she was asking me. In her mind it was the perfect solution. I just become like her family and bam, we live happily ever after.

I tried to explain to her my aversion to vampires. I thought she already knew how I felt, but I only insulted her by going into the details of why I'd never want to become like them. I hated the thought of my skin being so cold and hard, having a heart that didn't beat, always fighting the desire to drink the blood of human beings… why would anyone want that? I still didn't understand how Bella had chosen to join them so easily.

I know I promised to love Nessie forever, but who's to say how long forever should be? My feelings for her hadn't changed one bit. I still knew I couldn't live without her, but the chance to have my human life back was surprisingly appealing. I promised Nessie eternity when I was a werewolf but deep inside I felt it was a sacrifice. I was more than willing to make it to be with her. Now that I was different, normal, again I felt blessed to be given my natural life back. The price I'd have to pay to make good on my promise to her would mean throwing away that blessing.

I knew she was right that it was the only way at this point for us to have eternity together. I had gained some acceptance and understanding over my years with the Cullen's, but I still didn't want that life for myself. I would never want that. Hell, most of them didn't want it! Being a werewolf was cool. Being a vampire was just creepy.

As I sat in my car I thought about how life would be if I refused her "solution." Nessie would watch me grow older but she would stay young. Would she still want me in thirty years? What about if we had a family? I didn't like the thought of my wife and children living on forever and myself dying of old age in seventy odd years. How hard would it be to leave them? Would our children be immortal? Would they carry the wolf gene? I had considered those questions before. It seemed easier to deal when I thought nothing could stop me from being there for them. The idea that I would die and they would live on indefinitely made me feel like I was abandoning them.

My mind raced on as I saw Bella's car come into view behind me.

I got out of the Rabbit and sat on the hood. I motioned for Bella to join me and she obliged. She caught me off guard by taking my hand in hers. I looked at her surprised, mostly by the gesture, but also because her hand was so cold.

"You said you needed us to be the way we used to be" she explained. I nodded smiling and gave her stone hand a squeeze.

"So what have you done now, Jake" she teased with empathy in her voice. I sighed.

"My newfound humanity has caused some tension between Ness and me" I began. "I promised her an eternal life together and now I can't deliver."

"I'm not pleased with the thought of losing you some day either" she said, frowning slightly.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that because your daughter's come up with the perfect solution" I replied sarcastically. Her eyes widened in interest but she didn't speak.

"All I have to do is let one of you vamp's bite me and I can finally be part of your exclusive club."

"Nessie wants you to become a vampire?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yu-p" I popped my P for effect.

She stared out at the road for a few moments. It felt like forever.

"Are you considering it?" she asked.

"No! I don't know. I mean, I guess I've tried to picture it because I love her so much and I want to make her happy, but I keep panicking when I think about telling her yes."

Bella laughed.

"What is so funny about this?" I barked.

"Nothing, Jake, I'm sorry. It's just that I've had to make this decision myself. My memories aren't too clear anymore but I do understand the choice you have to make."

"Do you ever regret it, Bells?"

"There are things I miss, like seeing my mother or going to the beach in the daytime, but I don't regret my decision. I knew what I was giving up if I changed, and I knew what I would be giving up if I didn't. I just asked myself what wasn't I willing to live without and the answer was obvious." She shrugged.

"Edward" I stated. She nodded.

"I'm not willing to give up Nessie" I said.

"It is somewhat different for me though" I continued. "Edward was a danger to you when you were human, but Nessie and I can have a normal relationship with each other. I don't need to be a vampire for us to be together."

"You would actually be more different if you were changed" she added. "You wouldn't eat or sleep but Renesmee would. And you'd feel cold to her- though that part never bothered me much."

"All the shit I gave you about making this choice back then and here I am making the same one now" I said, shaking my head. "Bells, I'm sorry for that, for making that decision more difficult for you."

She smiled and kissed my cheek. I guess I was forgiven.

"So are you? Making the same decision as me, I mean?" she asked.

"I don't know yet" I replied.

"Who would you have do it, I wonder? Nessie's isn't venomous. You'd have to let one of us change you" she said, sounding exited by the idea.

"Geez, Bells. Don't look at me like that!"

"Like what!"

"Like you're about to take a bite of me right now. It's scary as hell. I smell bad to you guys, remember?" I retorted.

"Not so much anymore. It must be fading away."

"Great, now Jasper's going to start looking at me like I'm food, isn't he?" I wondered. "Aw crap, and Alice can see my future now I bet."

She just laughed and jumped off the hood of the car.

"Come on" she urged. "Nessie was in her room when I left. Maybe you should go talk to her."

"I don't think so Bella. We got in a big fight. I need more time to decide if I can do what she's asking before I see her."

We drove into town to the shop I worked at so I could order a part for my car, then she drove me home. I thanked her for talking to me and told her to let Nessie know I'd call her the next day. I needed some more time to calm down and really think about what I wanted. I would have to apologize for yelling at her too. I was so worked up from catching her in the lie about Carlisle that I didn't handle myself as well as I would have otherwise.

I lay in bed for hours that night unable to sleep. I kept going over in my head my conversation with Bella. I knew it would be a harder sacrifice for me to make than it had been for her. She felt like she belonged with this family. Although she made sacrifices for it, she'd been looking forward to joining them. I'd be going kicking and screaming the whole way. Could I make such a permanent sacrifice for the woman I loved?

The next morning I woke up completely ashamed of myself. I missed my fiancé and I wanted to make things right between us. I still hadn't decided if I could give her what she asked, but I knew I couldn't be away from her much longer.

Bella picked me up and took me back to the Cullen's house. Nessie and I talked for a long time. First, I apologized for yelling at her, and promised she would never see that side of me again. She asked me to forgive her for going behind my back to Carlisle and of course I did. She also told me how guilty she felt for asking me to do something she knew I was so against.

"I hate myself right now for asking you to do this, Jacob. I know it isn't what you want but I had to mention the possibility because I can't even begin to imagine eternity without you" she confessed.

I kissed her lips tenderly and reassured her that I understood how she felt.

After a long time we finally came to a compromise. As long as she gave me a few human years to get used to the idea, I agreed to be changed. I asked her for time for many reasons. I still held out hope that the pack would discover some way to start a member phasing again. I still didn't know if my theory was correct that the current generation of wolves was ending. I wanted to see what happened to the pack before I did anything crazy. I explained to Ness that I wouldn't age that much physically in the next few years and if she allowed me that time to accept this fate then I would do as she wished. She willingly accepted my terms. I secretly hoped in the years ahead she would change her mind and I wouldn't have to go through with the change. But I was going to prepare myself just in case. She knew what she wanted and she was stubborn like her mother.

"There's one other request I have before we can move forward" I said.

"Anything, Jake."

"I think we need to have a meeting with your family and make sure they all accept our decision. I don't want to presume I'll be welcome into your family without discussing it with them" I replied.

She nodded and smiled. She must have either already known how her family would react or she knew they could never refuse her once she asked. Alice might have seen the outcome of our discussion, I wasn't sure. We made our way upstairs to the dining room and everyone slowly filtered in.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Esme asked with a smile. She would be one of the few perks of being a part of this family. I hadn't had a mother in a very long time but Esme reminded me of how it felt to be loved by one.

"Better now, thanks" I answered her honestly.

"Where's Rose?" asked Nessie once everyone else was settled into their seats. No one here actually needed to sit but it did make for a more official meeting.

"She's coming" answered Emmett. "You know my wife, always difficult." Yes, Rose, the anti-Esme.

I cleared my throat and looked around the room at all the eyes on me.

"So, Ness and I have been trying to plan our future together in light of recent events. This has been very difficult for us but we think we've come to a compromise. The only way for us to be able to stay together is for me to be changed. " I cringed internally. "Before I agree to that I thought it was only right to ask your opinions."

"I say welcome to the family, Jake!" Alice said, obviously high on something. Pixie dust maybe.

"We'll be the largest coven in the world besides the Volturi, but I say the more the merrier" said Emmett.

"Has anyone else considered the Volturi's response to this?" questioned Rose as she entered the room.

"Jacob already knows about us, Rose. It would be of no concern to Aro" Edward responded.

"How can you be so sure about that, Edward?" added Jasper.

"He was a bigger threat to us when he was a werewolf and Aro hasn't spoken to us in years" said Edward.

"The Volturi would probably be more upset to learn that now he's human" Bella added.

"I agree. And his connection to Nessie proves he's as committed to our secrecy as any of us" Carlisle said.

"What about your safety, Jacob? Have you considered the effect our venom has on wolves?" asked Esme.

"I ran tests on him while he was sick and after he recovered. There's nothing unusual about his blood or DNA anymore. It's fascinating, really, that he's as human as the day he was born" Carlisle said in his best doctor voice. "In my opinion he would handle the change like any other human."

"But you can't be sure?" Bella asked.

"No, we've never seen it happen before. But I'm confident he would do just fine" Carlisle said, smiling at Bella and then Nessie to reassure them both.

"Well, Jacob, if you're sure then I support you" said Bella.

"Have you considered waiting?" Edward asked. "You're body's only recently undergone a significant change. Are you really prepared for this now?"

"It's not going to be now, Daddy. We've decided to wait three years. We have the wedding to focus on and then we want to enjoy… being married for a while" Ness told him, blushing.

His eyes glared at me. She must have just thought about the honeymoon. Mmmm, the honeymoon.

"And then you promise in that time you'll be ready, right?" Ness asked me.

"Yes. Three years is long enough" I assured her. Hopefully that's enough time for Rose and Jasper.

"Don't worry about feeling welcome here, Jacob. You already are a part of this family" Edward said kindly, embarrassing me a little. It's not like I was desperately longing for their acceptance. I just felt like I shouldn't automatically assume I'd be invited into their home.

I wanted to be invited in… great, I was already thinking like a vampire.

Edward laughed out loud, shaking his head.

"What's so funny?" Alice asked.

"Jacob still has a lot to learn about us" Edward replied.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reading my story. I appreciate all the comments. I hope you continue to enjoy! Here's Jacob and Nessie's wedding day. Next chapter will be the honeymoon! **

Chapter Fifteen: Our Wedding

"Jake, get off of me!"

"Come on, one boob! Just give me one boob!"

She laughed and rolled over until she was straddling me.

"Ja-cob, let gooo" she moaned trying to pry herself away from me.

I finally released her and she stumbled backwards. I grinned at Ness with the sexiest look I could muster. She pounced back on to the bed right where she had just been. She forced my arms over my head and held them in place by my wrists.

"Don't forget how much stronger I am than you, human" she teased.

I craned my neck to kiss her but she pulled back. I pouted my lips and she giggled at my immaturity.

"I have to go meet Alice" she reasoned.

"No."

"Yes, Jake. You can wait until tomorrow night" she said sounding a little irritated, but leaned closer to kiss my bare chest. My arms were still pinned down by her hands.

"Mmm. See that's where you're wrong. I'm going to combust, I need you so bad, Ness" I whispered suggestively, thrusting my hips to meet her.

She kissed my lips and I responded immediately, desperate to keep her from leaving.

"I have to go. I love you" she said as she gently pulled away. I reluctantly let her disengage herself and stand up. She straightened her clothes and ran her hands through her hair. "How do I look?" she asked.

Fuckable. "Gorgeous, as always" I replied as I moved to sit on the edge of the hotel bed.

"I love you. And I'll meet you tomorrow at 1pm, alright?" she asked.

"You bet" I said as I took her hands and kissed each one before she walked to the door. She turned once more to smile at me over her shoulder and then she was gone.

I looked at the clock on the nightstand. 5:14. The guys would be here soon to keep me company. Alice and Rose booked every room on the 16th floor of the Hyatt in Port Angeles for the Black/Cullen wedding. My father and sisters were there as well as everyone from La Push who knew our secrets. There was a large showing of vampires too. Everyone who'd helped the Cullen's and me eight years ago wanted to return to witness our vows. I was starting to get a bit nervous so I was grateful for the company tonight.

Quil and Embry came through the door then, followed by Paul and Seth. They all had their hands over their eyes and were laughing.

"Hello?" "You guys decent?" "Virgin police!" "Oh, Jakey!" They all said at once.

"It's just me" I said, shaking my head at their antics.

They all looked disappointed as their eyes darted around the room.

"Ness was here but she went to meet the girls" I explained, pulling on my t-shirt.

"We know, we saw her in the lobby" Embry said smirking.

"You guys are such assholes" I replied smiling. I slapped the back of Seth's head.

My friends stayed with me all night. We watched movies and joked around like old times. I really did miss being around the pack. It was nice having that time with them. I decided not to tell them about my promise to Nessie. I'd have to tell them all at some point but I knew it wouldn't go over well and didn't want to deal with it on my wedding day.

I had trouble sleeping and sent Nessie a text at 1am. She answered back immediately and it made me feel a little better knowing her nerves and excitement must have been keeping her awake too. It was unbelievable to think this was our last night apart. I felt like every decision I made in my life had brought me to this moment. We belonged together like the stars and the sky and nothing could come between us now. I'd never have to hold back my desires for her again. It was no wonder I couldn't sleep.

Truthfully, that thought was a little intimidating. We would be upgrading to a honeymoon suite tomorrow night in a different hotel and then leaving for Lake Tahoe the next day. I'd insisted on booking a room in a different hotel for the wedding night considering all the guests we had staying over. I wasn't about to allow dozens of supernatural beings overhear me lose my virginity. I got jittery just thinking about the wedding night. I knew Nessie was nervous too, but she hadn't waited as long as I had. I couldn't believe how long I'd waited. I sighed.

I must have finally dozed off sometime after that because I woke to Paul nudging me roughly. All morning he took pleasure in bossing me around the way I had before his wedding. I had had good reason; he just wanted to be an ass. I didn't need hurrying along because I couldn't wait to get downstairs and see Nessie.

I had to give the Cullen's credit, they could throw one hell of a party. The ballroom was decorated elegantly with cascading flowers and ribbon. There were lights hanging from the ceiling in intricate patterns and soft music playing. The ceremony was perfect. My bride was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. Her face was glowing and she had a few tears in her eyes as Edward walked her down the aisle. Edward was smiling and even patted my shoulder after placing Nessie's hand in mine. I felt a sigh of relief when the pastor announced us husband and wife. As I kissed her my body relaxed and I felt at peace.

The entire day passed by in a blur. I heard, from my side of the family, that the food at dinner was very good but I didn't have a chance to eat anything. Ness and I had our first dance and then spent the rest of the night floating around the room, talking with our relatives and friends. I danced with my sisters, all the Cullen women, and even Leah. She purposely stepped on my foot at the end but it was still nice.

Charlie pulled me aside sometime between dancing and cake to address some of his concerns.

"Son, is there gonna be any funny business happening to either of you after tonight?" he asked.

I couldn't help chuckling at his question. Well, I was fairly sure we'd be ripping each other's clothes off the second we got back to the hotel, but that wasn't the kind of "funny business" he was referring to. His eyes darted around the room like he was sure our conversation was being listened in on. Knowing this crowd, it might have been.

"Don't worry, Charlie. No one's doing any 'changing' this time." I made air quotes.

He'd been incredibly patient since Bella's change. He kept his promise not to ask questions or think too much about the things that made no sense. Nessie's birth and rapid aging was probably the hardest impossibility for him to overlook. Charlie had also been a wee bit afraid of me, I think, after I phased in front of him. It was a riot at first, but he had a hard time being around me for months after that. I wanted to give him the good news that I was mortal again but it only made me think of my impending fate. I wondered if he'd react any better to Jacob the vampire than had to did Jacob the werewolf? Unfortunately, I knew he would take it a great deal better than my own father. I shook the thought from my mind.

"You know, a long time ago I was hoping you and Bells might find a way to be together" he admitted. I smiled and nodded to show it wasn't news to me that he'd felt that way.

"I never expected you to end up with my granddaughter" he continued with a chuckle.

"Neither did I, Charlie" I replied. "I know you feel like you're in the dark a lot, and I wish it didn't have to be that way. I just want to assure you… Bella and I both got our happily ever afters." He grinned and nodded.

Emmett and Jasper cornered me later on my way out of the restroom, catching me completely off guard. Emmett forced me back inside and Jasper locked the door trapping me in the men's room with my new… uncles. Ick. Emmett pulled a variety of condoms from his jacket pocket and began describing in detail the pluses and minuses to each type. It was humiliating. Although, I did kind of need to know that stuff. I wondered what a couple of vampires, whose wives/girlfriends couldn't even get pregnant, were doing with a stock pile of rubbers. I asked them as much. Jasper just laughed his ass off. He might have been enjoying my mood shift from confusion to embarrassment to genuine interest. I couldn't be sure. I committed to memory a lot of information I learned from my days sharing the pack mind. Wolf telepathy had its uses, though, most the guy's memories of were of positions, feelings, and favorite body parts… not so much the mechanics of putting a condom on correctly. I really should have just talked to Sam long before now. I let them have their fun and was able to escape the presentation when Jared banged on the door needing to take a whiz. God bless him.

By midnight I was exhausted. Edward and Bella walked Ness and I out to the valet after the reception. We had said our goodbyes to everyone else and thanked them for coming. Once outside the hotel we stopped in front of an Aston Martin DBS just as Edward held out his fist; opening it to reveal a set of keys.

"Just a little wedding present" Edward said.

"You didn't think he'd let you take the Rabbit all the way to Nevada, did you?" Bella said smiling. I really didn't expect her to cave on the whole life of luxury, but she sure seemed to be embracing it.

"Holy crow, daddy!" Nessie shrieked. I didn't know what to say. Then I realized the valet driver was actually Emmett. Just who I wanted to see again.

"Come on, Jakey… don't pretend you wouldn't fuck the gas tank on this baby" he said emerging from the driver's seat. He walked behind the ridiculously expensive vehicle making an inappropriate and obscene gesture as he rounded the back corner. Edward and I both shot him a disapproving look and he raised his hands up in defense, laughing.

"I don't know what to say, guys. Thank you" I said sincerely to Edward and Bella. It wasn't that I wasn't pleased or grateful. It was just an overwhelming gift to be given, especially after having just experienced the most exciting and overwhelming day of my life. I walked closer to Edward and took the keys from him.

"Thank you, Edward" I repeated.

"You're welcome" he said and patted my back.

Nessie gave him a long hug and whispered something to him my human ears could no longer hear. Then she hugged Bella and did the same. She told them she would call when we reached our resort the following day. Then she hugged Emmett, and he kissed her on the cheek. Bella stepped next to Edward who wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They both looked as if they would cry if they could. I opened the passenger door for my wife and then walked around to the driver's seat. I put the windows down and Nessie waved a final goodbye as we drove away.

We were headed to the honeymoon suite at the Port Angeles Hilton, and in the morning we'd leave for our two week stay in Lake Tahoe. I was physically worn-out from the events of the day but my mind was buzzing with excitement. This gorgeous woman sitting next to me was my wife. She vowed to love me for multiple lifetimes ahead. I wasn't doubtful in my decision to join her kind in that moment. As long as I could call her mine, regardless of whether or not my heart still beat, she would bring me all the happiness I could ask for.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here's the much anticipated honeymoon chapter. Lemon warning... Enjoy, thanks for reading!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixteen: Honeymoon<p>

There we were, finally husband and wife. Separated now only by a bathroom door. As we had been for a good ten minutes; and I was starting to worry. Nessie had excused herself to change and freshen up soon after we arrived at our room. I opened our suitcases on the desk by the window and closed the blinds. Then I wandered over to the mini fridge and pulled out a candy bar. I inspected all the little bottles of liquor and it occurred to me for the first time that I could feel the effects of alcohol again. I wondered if Nessie could too. I turned towards the bathroom but still nothing to see but a shut door. I inhaled the candy bar since I barely had a chance to eat at the reception. Then I unscrewed the cap on one of the little bottles and drank half of it. That was all I needed. I was nervous and worried about what was taking Ness so long and I just needed a little something to take the edge off. I felt the warmth invade my stomach and I let out a sigh. I left the bottle out in case Ness wanted it.

I undid the tie and vest I was wearing, and opened the buttons on the shirt at the collar and sleeves. Ok, so where was my bride? I cautiously walked over to the bathroom and decided I needed to check on her. I knocked.

"Ness, honey, are you okay?" I asked softly. No answer.

"Honey, can I come in?" I tried the door. It was unlocked. I pushed it open and found Nessie sitting on the edge of the tub looking at the floor. She'd removed her wedding dress and hung it up carefully on the hanger and had covered it with the plastic wrap. She was wearing a black satin gown she must have picked out with Alice. It was very sexy. She wasn't crying, which was a relief to me, but she wouldn't take her eyes off the tile floor.

"Nessie, what's wrong? You're scaring me a little" I said honestly, and knelt down on the floor beside her. I took her hand in my right one and placed my left on her exposed knee.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. "It shouldn't be like this."

I felt my muscles tense at her words and my eyes widened. I didn't understand what had changed in the past hour. What was she so remorseful about? Please, God, don't let it be our marriage...

"What did I do?" I asked. As my mind sorted through the endless possibilities, she spoke.

"I'm scared. There's so much pressure. What if I'm not good at it?" she mumbled.

Phew! Sounds like wedding night jitters. I could handle that one. I pondered the possibility that she wouldn't want to make love to me at all that night. I knew I'd be disappointed but I wanted it to be perfect. I could wait another night if that's what she needed. Someone would have to explain to my penis though.

"Sweetheart, I think I understand how you feel. I'm worried that we've built this night up for so long that I'll disappoint you. Or that it'll hurt you and you'll hate it" I answered honestly. Was I trying to convince her to have sex with me, or to never touch me again? I quickly changed course in my persuasion.

"Nessie, I don't want to rush this. You can tell me if it becomes too much for you. I don't know what I'm doing either. We're going to have to learn together. I'm just as scared as you" I promised her.

"Really? You're scared too, Jake?"

"Of course I am. I love you so much, Ness. I'm so nervous I just chugged one of those tiny little bottles of vodka to calm myself down" I confessed. She giggled and finally raised her eyes to mine.

"There's my girl" I said smiling. I kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I feel better that you're scared too" she said and squeezed my hand tighter.

We walked out of the bathroom with our fingers linked together. I pulled her tight against my chest and let my hands roam over the soft satin of her gown. I guided her steps backwards until we reached the king size bed and motioned for her to sit. She hopped up onto the edge and watched me intently with those round chocolate brown eyes. I started unbuttoning my dress shirt as I stepped closer to inch myself between her legs. She allowed them to part for me, the material of her gown riding up her thighs. I couldn't help but put my hands on her pale smooth skin and follow the path the gown had taken. She leaned forward and slowly worked the belt through the loops of my pants and dropped it to the floor. Then she unbuttoned the pants and slid the zipper down. When she pulled her hands back the pants fell to the floor. My erection was pressing against the cotton of my boxers and Ness grazed it with her fingertips in a teasing fashion. I tightened the grip my hands had on her hips. Her fingers blazed a trail up my stomach and over my chest. I was too tall for her to reach my shoulders and remove the dress shirt so she moved her hands over my arms and yanked at the sleeves until the shirt came loose down my arms. I shook it to the floor.

Ness took a moment to look over my nearly naked body before shifting back towards the middle of the bed. I was about to ask her if she was okay when she smiled at me and waved for me to come closer. I wasted no time in crawling onto the bed and lowering myself gently over her. She kissed my lips hungrily with no reservation and I kissed her back. This was the part we had practiced to perfection. I hovered a few inches above her and could feel the familiar heat from her body attacking mine. I could no longer hear her heartbeat but I was sure it was as active as my own.

"I love you, Jake" she whispered.

"I love you so much, Nessie" I replied.

Without any more hesitation or fear I started making love to my wife. I began slowly with kisses and touches. I could now properly express the intense love I'd felt for her over the course of her entire life. As we kissed it felt like we were one body with two parts; moving together to create something beautiful. I tried to focus on making this as pleasurable as possible for her. I briefly considered how making love for the first time would hurt her, and wanted to do everything I could to make the rest of the experience feel as good as I knew how.

I cuffed both her wrists in my hand above her head and used my other one to slide that lingerie up her body exposing the soft flesh of her stomach. That sexy outfit of hers had tiny little matching panties. I pressed my erection against her and she moaned at the feeling of my hardness. Her breathing picked up as I caressed her skin with my hand. I released her wrists so I could use both hands to work the gown over her head. Ness sat up to help me lift it over her head and I threw it far across the room. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me back down. I felt her delicate fingers creep under the hem of my boxers as she began working them off my hips. I pulled them the rest of the way down, kicking my feet as the last stitch of my clothing dropped to the floor. The only thing separating our union now was those fucking lacy panties. I buried my face in her neck, kissing and licking every inch of her. I bite her earlobe gently and she moaned. Her fingers were grabbing at my back, raking through my hair, and exploring my backside. When she squeezed my ass cheeks with both hands I involuntarily clenched my muscles and thrust my hips into her. I groaned at the sensations she was causing me and wanted badly to rip her panties off and introduce my cock to the place it has been begging to be for so long.

Instead, I lowered my body down so my head was level with her breasts. I tugged her nipples between my fingers until they hardened. My tongue washed over each one, back and forth as Nessie encouraged me through soft whimpers. I palmed both peaks in my hands, not wanting to leave them unattended as I moved lower. Ness thrust her hips forward in anticipation as I kissed her mound. My hands slid down her sides to grip her hips and I took the fabric covering her in one hand, pulling it down to her ankles. Once the offending panties were gone for good I continued kissing and licking her skin. She was so wet.

Her body tensed as I slid two fingers inside her, gently pushing them as far as they would go. She relaxed under my hand and spread her legs wider for me. My cock was throbbing from the sight of her openness, eager to take the place of my fingers. As I thrust over and over into her wet core my tongue swirled over her clit. Her hips bucked forward again and she moaned my name. Her sounds pushed me further and when I knew she was close I removed the hand still on her hip and reached up to grasp her breast. The last seconds before her climax was like an erotic juggling act: stimulating her center, clit, and nipple simultaneously. My efforts were rewarded greatly by the thunderous shriek of pleasure she released as her internal muscles clenched around my fingers and she experienced a forceful release. Her limbs fell limp on the mattress and she was panting, in an attempt to calm herself. I smiled wide and left her no time to recuperate before climbing over her and positioning myself at her entrance. Her body shook with an aftershock when the tip of my cock touched her sex.

I reached to the nightstand where I'd left the condom and tore the wrapper off. I slid it down over my dick and looked back up at my wife who was staring at me, biting her lip.

"You ready, honey?" I asked gently. There was only one answer I could accept. I was on the brink of that combustion I'd warned her about.

"Hell, yes" she responded, still catching her breath. "I want you inside me, Jacob. Now."

Where had this boldness come from? I kissed her lips several times, looking into her open eyes as I did it. I couldn't tear myself away from her face. I felt her thighs fall flat against the mattress. She was completely offering herself to me. I mentally thanked Paul for reminding me to jerk off this morning. If I hadn't I would have definitely come by now.

I took my cock in my hand and rubbed it up and down her wet slit. She moaned in pleasure.

"Now, Jacob. Please" she begged me. It was so sexy hearing her ask for it. I positioned myself right where I needed to be.

"Tell me if I hurt you" I cautioned.

She nodded profusely. "I'm ready for you" she assured me.

I took a deep breath and plunged myself inside her warmth. She gasped as I felt myself fill her. I felt her barrier push back against my length. I pulled back and then thrust forward again, this time breaking through the wall of her innocence. She cried out in what sounded like pain to me. Her eyebrows scrunched together and her nails dug into my shoulder blades. Her eyes were clamped shut. I stopped moving and waited for her to tell me to get off her. I was sure she was in too much discomfort to continue. Her face slowly relaxed and she let out a few calming breaths. She opened her eyes which seemed to be questioning my lack of movement.

"It's okay" she said. "Please don't stop."

Her grip loosened on my shoulders and she began rubbing my back encouragingly. I resumed plunging my cock deep inside and her muscles stretched to accommodate my presence. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I groaned and panted her name. We soon found a comfortable rhythm and Ness started lifting her hips to meet my thrusts. I took one of her legs in my hand and rested it on my shoulder. She moaned loudly as the new position allowed me to sink deeper inside than before. I was getting so close to my climax but I wanted to hold out for her again.

"Can you come again, baby? I want you to come for me" I whispered.

"I don't know, it feels… good now… I'm close" she stammered.

I placed her leg back on the bed and used my free hand to palm her mound and rub soft circles over her clit. She gasped and started pressing her hips up to meet mine faster. I quickened my pace in response and soon felt her fall over the edge for the second time.

"Oh, Jake. Oh God!" she moaned.

Her hands were clenching my short hair, pulling at the roots. Her orgasm sent my body into its own frenzy and I felt myself joining her in ecstasy. I lost complete control and could only think of the waves of pleasure passing through my body. I can't remember what I yelled out, but it must have been a string of profanity. As the waves slowly subsided I collapsed on top of her. I didn't want to break our bond but reluctantly rolled to my side and clasped my hand in hers. We both turned to look at one another as our breathing slowed to normal.

"You okay?" I had to ask.

"Yes" she said smiling. "Very, very okay."

"I love you, Renesmee Black." I couldn't help the cheesy smile I'm sure I got from saying her new name.

"I love you too, my husband" she replied, grinning equally as cheesy.

I kissed her forehead, then her nose, and finally her soft lips. I left her side momentarily so I could pull off the condom. Damn, those things are a bitch and a half. I tossed it in the garbage and rinsed myself off quickly. I came back to the bed to find Ness had pulled back the covers and was snuggled up under the white sheet. I slipped in beside her and kissed her one more time before we both drifted off to sleep.

Nessie and I had a wonderful honeymoon in Lake Tahoe. Our cabin was amazing and very romantic. We explored the outdoors every day and cuddled in front of the fire every night. There were lots of activities to experience and we took advantage of them all.

Being away from home and everyone we knew was peaceful and refreshing. Ness and I talked more than we ever had before. There were no interruptions from nosy uncles, or super human eavesdropping, and no mind readers. Hallelujah. We were alone with each other and we made the most of it.

We made love every night. Sometimes in the morning or throughout the day as well. Nessie's libido apparently favored her vampire nature. Any human girl would have been walking funny after a few days, but not my wife. She was shy talking about sex and nervous when she tried to initiate. Once we were in bed she relaxed and let herself explore this new element of our relationship. I was enjoying being married very much.

On our third night in the cabin, we made love in a very exciting position, and I was making Nessie blush by recapping the experience.

"I'll never look at you the same, Ness" I teased. It had been her suggestion.

"Shhh, stop talking about it or I won't ever do it again!" she threatened, her face beat red.

"Have sex with me? Or test the durability of the coffee table?"

"Neither!" she threatened, but she was smiling. She was laying on her back in the king size bed and I was cuddled up next to her with one leg hooked over hers.

"Are you looking forward to moving in with me?" I said, changing the subject to something more agreeable to her.

"Yes I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She turned to the side to face me.

"I know you're going to miss being around your family" I replied.

"True, but Jake, you only live five minutes away. We'll still be over there all the time."

I guess I couldn't hide my lack of excitement.

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Jake, please. Is it that terrible being around my family? They're your family now too" she reminded.

"I understand that, hun. I can't help that way I feel around them."

"What, because they're all vampires?" she asked. I reached to pull her closer to me but she props up on her elbow to give me a solid glare.

"It's not that. I don't feel like I belong. Like, besides Bella I'm nothing more than your significant other to them. And sometimes I miss my own family."

"I know you do. I can see that whenever you're with them. You're different with your dad and Rachel. Embry and Quil too. You joke around and laugh so much more." I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. And it upsets me to know that they'll never accept the choice I'm making. I'm afraid to tell them at all" I said honestly.

"Becoming a vampire will help you fit in better with my family, but alienate you from yours" she said.

"Exactly."

"I feel terrible asking you to choose me over them" she said, looking down at the bed.

"You can't fight the way you feel anymore than I can. I'm happy you want to spend forever with me. I know it isn't an easy choice, and it's going to be harder sometimes than others, but I'm going willingly." I wrapped my large hand around her small one.

"I can't bear the thought of leaving you alone for eternity. Or worse, someone else claiming you after I'm gone."

"Everyone really does like you, you know. Even Rose, she'll just never admit it because that's just who she is."

I smirked at her.

"There's nothing about you not to like. You're funny, and warm, and kind, and loving…" she told me in between kisses to my face and neck.

I pulled her onto me we shared a long moment staring into each other's eyes. Then I jumped up from the bed throwing her over my shoulder. She shrieked in my ear and I laughed.

"Ok, which room haven't we done it in yet?" I asked her while striding towards the kitchen.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Home Sweet Home

We returned from Lake Tahoe very late Sunday evening. I'd driven the whole way and was very much looking forward to crashing in my bed as soon as we got home. I was smiling at the fact that it would be the first night Nessie spent in my apartment since it became "our" apartment. I dropped all the bags in the living room and picked up my bride, twirling her around in my arms. I carried her into the bedroom with the intentions of quickly falling asleep beside her.

"Surprise!" Alice shouted.

I was so startled I nearly dropped Nessie. Bella ran over to her daughter and wrapped her in a tight hug. Nessie seemed just as happy to see her mom.

"Well, what do you think?" the tiny little woman with the loud voice asked.

Only then did I look around my room and notice how much things have changed in two weeks. First, they painted my walls. The off-white I was accustomed to was now some shade of green that was probably called Celery Stalk or Crab Apple. My furniture was also gone, and replaced with what could only be described as intricately carved wooden masterpieces. Much more elegant than what I had been using from the great land of Sweden. There were matching bookshelves on the far wall and a new comforter on the large new bed. It looked very soft and I remembered how tired I was. Alice and Esme were waiting for my reaction. I was very grateful for their improvements but I worried that maybe they had grand plans for the rest of the apartment too. Thankfully Ness spoke first.

"You did all this while we were gone?" she praised. "It looks amazing!"

"We thought you might appreciate coming home to a room suited for newlyweds" Esme said smiling.

She really did find pleasure in home furnishings. I crossed the room and hugged her.

"Thank you. You outdid yourself again" I told her. I turned and hugged Alice too. I felt surprisingly different around them since before the wedding. I knew that among my recently expanded family I would enjoy the company of these women the most. They had always been kind and welcoming towards me. I was relieved to feel closer to them now that Nessie and I were wed. For the first time I felt a surge of excitement for becoming part of this family.

Bella asked us some questions about the honeymoon. How was the ride in the new car? Was the cottage nice? Did we take a lot of pictures? Nessie gave her mother some details and told them all that we'd be over to the house in a few days to see everyone. It had been a long day and I'm sure they could see the exhaustion in our faces. The Cullen ladies shuffled themselves out of our apartment a few minutes later and we went straight to sleep.

I woke the next morning groggy and disoriented. I needed more sleep but I had to be in to work at 9. It might have been wise to take an extra day off from the garage before getting back into my old routine but I needed the paycheck. My boss hadn't been too pleased with my taking two weeks off after the wedding and I needed to stay in his good graces since employee reviews were coming up. I kissed Ness on the cheek without waking her and started getting ready for work. Before leaving I left a note on the fridge which read: To my wife, I'm missing you already. See you tonight. Love, Jacob.

It felt good to be back at work, back in a familiar routine. Nessie and I had decided to tell people in Mountain Home that we had eloped. The guys in the garage knew I'd been on vacation since I had to tell my boss I'd be gone for a few weeks. That first day back I planned to tell them I was married. I strolled in with my wedding band on and no one even noticed for hours. My closest friend in the garage, Jason, said something to me at lunch. I told him Ness and I planned the trip a while ago and spontaneously tied the knot on the road. I got a lot of pats on the back and some snarky comments from the other guys but overall the shock had passed by the end of the day. Jason was a little suspicious of my story, and seemed worried that I'd jumped the gun. He finally offered his congratulations after I assured him after two weeks I still had no regrets. He was married to a pretty woman named Michele and they were expecting a baby in a couple months. Shaking my hand, he welcomed me to married life.

I arrived home to find my wife bustling around the kitchen. I could definitely get used to that sight. She ran over to me when I walked into the kitchen and threw her arms around me. I bent down to her level and greeted her with a good kiss. She asked me how my day was as she nuzzled her head against my chest. I didn't answer, unable to help being distracted by what she had on the stove.

"Mmm, what are you making, Ness?"

"Turkey tetrazzini. I also caught up on the class work I missed while we were away, went grocery shopping, and unpacked all my boxes from the house" she stated.

"Wow, I'm impressed. You got all of your things put away already?"

"Well, it helped that Alice reorganized your closet while we were gone and hung all my clothes for me" she said smiling.

"Yeah, I noticed that this morning" I replied with a frown.

I didn't mind Alice making room for Nessie's things in my closet but I suspected she had discarded a few of my favorite shirts and pants in the process. I could only find one pair of sweatpants the night before.

"Dinner will be a few more minutes. Do you want to shower?"

I nodded and kissed her once more before heading for the fancy new bedroom. I knew I smelled like dirt and grease. Not exactly appetizing. In the bathroom I noticed a few more changes to my former bachelor pad. There was a tiny table in the corner with a plant sitting on it. I smiled seeing Nessie's pink toothbrush in the holder by the sink. The medicine cabinet had been rearranged too, with what looked like a year's supply of soaps, tampons, and condoms. Good Lord. I wondered if this had been part of Nessie's shopping trip or of Alice's doing. I decided I'd rather not know and turned to follow the smell of turkey back to the kitchen.

Ness was bubbling with conversation at dinner and I smiled and listened as she told me about her day. We ate together all the time, but I reveled in the joy I felt knowing she was mine and we'd have thousands more nights like this one to enjoy one another. She had been busy while I was at work. Hearing about all the homework she'd missed from her classes reminded me of all the catching up I'd have to do for my own. We planned our honeymoon over Thanksgiving break which cut down on the work missed but it still seemed overwhelming. I needed to see what assignments I had due that week but all I wanted to do after dinner was take Nessie back to that big bed and test it out in a number of different ways.

Ness told me how after school work, shopping, and unpacking she had given Bella a call. It seems Bella's been struggling with her mother, Renee, lately. I'd found a way to let Charlie partially into the supernatural loop in order to stay connected to Bella and then Nessie. He had been really great over the years, not asking too many questions. Renee, on the other hand, didn't know anything. She thought Bella and Edward went to college, graduated, and moved to Idaho for Edward's career. There were always excuses and long elaborate stories being given to Renee to explain why Bella hadn't seen her in eight years. Renee didn't even know she had a granddaughter. She wasn't at our wedding. I knew it upset Nessie that she could never meet her grandmother. From what Ness was telling me, Bella was having a rough time deciding when to cut off communication for good. She said Carlisle had been hinting for a while now that it was finally time.

She told Bella that we'd be over the next night to visit. Spending time with Nessie would hopefully comfort her. It hurt me to know Bella was struggling with one of the sacrifices she knew she'd have to make to become a vampire. I knew there wasn't anything I could do to help. I had concerns of my own to deal with regarding vampire/human family relations. I felt a little relieved that my family and friends knew vampires existed and I could tell them the truth when the time came. At the same time, I wondered if they might be safer and less hurt if I did just disappear like Bells should have done years ago. I didn't know if I even wanted my family seeing me after I was changed. I was afraid not only that they wouldn't accept my decision but also about how they would treat me once it was done.

After dinner I checked my email and did a little makeup work for my classes. It felt good to be enrolled in high education and I was enjoying learning new things, but with the full time job and marrying Nessie I felt like my plate was getting full. I wanted to be a good husband. I wanted a college degree. And I wanted to work hard in order to provide for Nessie. I was hell bent on managing it all. It was late when I finally joined Nessie in bed. Much to her pleasure, I still had enough energy to make love before we both fell asleep.

The next night we went over the Cullens' as promised. I was relieved to see Esme had made dinner for Ness and me because I was starving. Bella and Edward sat with us while we ate and caught up on everyday things.

Jasper breezed in and out while we were all in the dining room. Nessie reminded him to give Mr. Jenks a call next time he had a chance. She was eager to get her driver's license changed to read Renesmee Black. I beamed with pride that she was taking my name. Alice and Rosalie came in together and spoke to us briefly. Everyone seemed a little tense and I assumed it had to do with the Renee issue. If I knew Bella, she was fighting hard against the inevitable. When she and Nessie took our plates into the kitchen I turned my attention to Edward.

_Is she really as upset as Ness tells me? _I asked Edward in my head so Bella wouldn't overhear.

He gave me a look that said, "What do you think?"

_What are you going to do about it?_

"Alice is working on a plan" he whispered.

_Where's Carlisle?_ I thought. _Is he here? _Edward nodded.

Nessie and Bella returned from the kitchen and Edward straightened in his chair and looked towards the hall. A few seconds later the family shuffled in, single file and took their seats at the table. Carlisle sat at one end like the chairman of the vampire board.

"I didn't know there was going to be an official meeting" I said.

"There are a few issues that have come up recently but we wanted to wait until after the wedding to discuss them" Edward explained.

"I wasn't going to let anything negative distract from your big day" Alice said to Nessie, patting her shoulder.

"Thanks, Alice" Nessie replied.

"Alright then." Carlisle began. "The first matter I wanted to call attention to is the gift that was received last month. It appears Aro, Marcus, and Caius are keeping tabs on us after all. They heard about the wedding and sent this gift."

Carlisle raised his hands and Esme placed a brown package in them. He set it on the table and pushed it closer to Nessie.

"Open it, dear" he said gently. Nessie looked a little unsure. Maybe she thought it would explode or something equally horrible. She did not have good memories of the Volturi.

"I saw what it was when Aro had it sent from Volterra. It's lovely" Alice reassured her.

Nessie torn the wrapping off the box and opened it. Nestled inside the Styrofoam peanuts were two crystal champagne flutes etched with gold and decorated around the stems in what looked like diamonds and rubies.

"Yikes" I said. They looked too expensive to ever use.

"Jake, read the card" Bella said pointing to the small note card at the bottom of the box.

"Renesmee and Jacob, congratulations on your approaching nuptials. We wish you great happiness and look forward to hearing from you in the future. We are indeed curious to meet any offspring that a werewolf might produce with a half human / half vampire. Do give our dear friend Carlisle our best. Sincerely, Aro, Marcus, and Caius."

I cringed as I read their names. It had been almost eight years since we'd seen or heard from these stooges. It wasn't nearly long enough.

"Is he threatening us?" Rose asked the room.

"They haven't made any decision to come here yet. I would have seen it" Alice says reassuringly.

"Yeah, but that's only because whoever is giving them information on us sees that there aren't any babies yet" Emmett said.

"Well, whoever told them we were getting married obviously missed the fact that I'm not a werewolf any longer" I added.

"That's right. Carlisle, we need to consider who their informant might be. If Nessie and Jake do have children we'll need to protect them from Aro" Edward said flatly. Nessie took my hand under the table.

"I agree. It could have been any of the guests at the wedding. We should start there. No laws have been broken by their marriage, but it is troubling that Aro has taken such an interest in our coven. We are on his radar and must be especially careful" Carlisle said.

"Carlisle, what do you think Aro will do?" I asked.

Edward said, "He was fascinated with Renesmee when he saw her. I heard his thoughts. It's no surprise to me that he wouldn't soon forget her. We need to find out where Aro is getting his information."

"Also, Ness and Jake need to consider their family planning options. If you two conceive a child before Jacob is turned, chances are the baby will carry some vampire traits and many human traits. And there is a possibility Jake will pass down his ability to phase. On the other hand, if you wait until he is made vampire, the baby could most likely resemble a true vampire and there's no telling how he or she may age. There are many unknown factors in either choice" Carlisle said.

Ness hadn't spoken in a while and she looked embarrassed by the conversation. We could discuss this with Carlisle later when the whole family wasn't listening. I shot him a look and he must have gotten my drift because he waved his hands in the air as if were absolving the conversation and moved on to other pressing matters.

We discussed Bella's mother next. It seemed the decision to cut the ties had already been made and now the only thing left to do was decide how it should be handled. Bella looked down at the carpet while Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle debated over faking her death or simply staging an argument that would end all communication. Edward wrapped his arm around Bella while the conversation continued. Finally, it was settled that Renee would be told that Bella passed away in a car accident. They could hold a small funeral for her with a closed casket. Charlie would have to be consulted about how much he was willing to participate in the charade. They decided it would have to be soon or be forced to come up with another reason Renee couldn't visit for Christmas. It was already December 3rd. Everyone fell silent once the details were figured out.

"Mom, I wish I could have met her once" Nessie said. She was sitting on Bella's right and let go of my hand to scoot her chair closer to her mother. Bella hugged Ness tightly.

"I wish you could too, sweetheart."

I had been thinking recently of a way for Nessie to meet her grandmother and decided this would be an appropriate time to suggest it. I wasn't sure how Bella would react but my hope was it would ease her mind just a little.

"Bells, you guys have been married now for eight years, and as far as your mom knows you haven't had any kids, right?" I asked just to confirm what I already knew. She nodded, puzzled by my question.

"Well, I was thinking, Ness could contact Renee in say 11 or 12 years from now explaining that she'd like to meet her grandmother. She could tell Renee that you had had a daughter a year after you got married. In eleven years Nessie will look exactly the age she should be. Ness could tell Renee what a good mother you were, how happy you were before you "died", stuff like that. She could bring Renee pictures or letters you want her to have, claiming that you wrote to her but never sent them. Nessie would get to meet her, and Renee would get some closure from losing you."

Everyone stared at me for a few moments thinking of ways to poke holes in my plan, I'm sure. Rose was the first to speak up.

"What about when Renee asks Nessie why Bella avoided her for eight years between her wedding day and her death?" she asked.

Bella chimed in "She could say that I felt embarrassed about marrying young and having a baby so quickly after the wedding, just like Renee had done. And that I didn't know how to break the news of Renesmee to her and the longer I lied, the harder it was to admit the truth."

"Won't you just be creating the same problem for Nessie that you have now?" Emmett asked.

"Renee's not going to be satisfied with just one meeting with her long lost grandchild. She'll want to see her again, and before you know it Nessie will have to break ties all over again before Renee realizes she isn't aging."

I said, "Ness would have to tell Renee upfront that she isn't looking for more family. She wants to meet and that is all. Maybe claim that she lives in Alaska and can't come visit again. That she only wants to explain what happened to Bella and deliver Bella's letters."

Edward and Carlisle looked deep in thought. Bella had a somewhat more relaxed expression than I'd seen on her all day. Then, Carlisle spoke.

"I think it is a good idea for Nessie to contact Renee in eleven or so years if that is what Bella wants. We have much time to decide exactly how the meeting will go, but it is something nice to look forward to for both of you. And so the discussion over your permanent disappearance is settled then, yes?" He looked to Bella.

She nodded her head and tried to give him a smile. Edward leaned closer to her and kissed her cheek.

"It will get better in time, love. I promise" he said.

"He's right. It's for the best. What your mother is experiencing now is painful too. Once she knows you're gone she can start to heal" Rosalie said with surprising empathy.

The strategy meeting was starting to give me a headache so I slipped out of the room to get some air. I walked outside to the front porch and pulled out my cell phone. Dialing my father's number made me equally happy and fearful. Although it was reassuring to know I wouldn't have to lie to him or make him think I died, it was not going to be an easy conversation and I dreaded his reaction. Witnessing Bella's struggle with her choice caused a ripple of doubt to rush through me I hadn't felt since before the wedding. The rings continued and finally the machine clicked on.

_Please leave a message after the beep._

"Dad, it Jake. Give me a call when you get home. I have something to tell you."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Vacation

I hurried through the courtyard outside the student center on my way to the little coffee shop on campus where I was meeting Nessie, Bella, and Alice. It was our last day of classes for the summer and I'd just taken my last final. I found my family quickly and plopped down on the seat next to Ness. She greeted me with a "Hey, baby." I kissed her cheek and said "hey" back. I was happy that the school year was ending. The stress of work and classes at the same time was draining and I was looking forward to having more free time in the coming months. Nessie loved college and I knew for her the summer would mean isolation from friends and social events. Alice felt the same way and was currently trying to convince Nessie to take a trip with her as I joined their table.

"Where did you have in mind, Al?" Ness asked.

"I was thinking England! Or Island Esme, maybe. We should all go, just the girls!" she exclaimed.

If anyone could use a vacation it was Bella. It had been five months since her "car accident" and I could tell she was in need of a change of scenery. This must be phase 3 of Alice's plan to cheer her up. She'd been keeping Bella busy helping Esme with projects around the house and day trips to nearly towns. She even flew Charlie in for a surprise visit. Bella looked more enthused than my wife at this idea of an all girl vacation.

"I haven't been to the island in years. I miss that place" she said.

"Wait, I'm finally getting a break from my crazy schedule and you want to take my wife thousands of miles away? For how long?" I asked.

"Not long" Alice responded. "How does two weeks sound?"

"Perfect" Bella said. "Nessie, you'll love it there."

I wasn't thrilled at the idea of two weeks away from Nessie. It didn't matter how utterly human I now was, the imprint still had a strong presence.

"What do you think?" Ness asked me.

"Well, I'd miss you like crazy. But, maybe I could go visit my dad while you're away" I replied.

That was something I'd been putting off for months now, ever since I confessed my plans to become a member of the undead. My fathers' reaction surprised me when I told him. He wasn't angry or shocked, he didn't try to change my mind, and he didn't disown me on the spot. Of course, he wasn't thrilled for me either. I explained my reasons and he knew enough about imprinting to understand that whatever made Nessie happy would ultimately make me happy too.

It took Alice about a week to sort out all the vacation plans. I drove Nessie over to the Cullen's house to see them off with the other men. Edward and Bella had a sappy drawn out goodbye which was more than I could stomach. I'd given Nessie a proper goodbye before we left the apartment. I focused hard not to think about that with Edward in the room. I was exhausted by the time the girls waved goodbye from the limo that would take them to the airport. They had to travel at night, obviously. I said goodnight to Edward and the other guys and headed back to the apartment to spend my first night alone since the wedding.

I left for Forks early the following morning. I couldn't be away for the entire time Nessie was, but I'd planned to spend at least four days on the res before heading back to Idaho and my job. I really wanted to make it into town by nightfall. There was a bonfire being held that night in Rachel and Paul's honor. They had just announced they were expecting their first child. It was exciting to think of becoming an uncle. Sam's kids already called me Uncle Jake but it meant something more being linked by blood. As I drove the lonely highways from Idaho to Washington I pondered what it meant for the pack I once led to be passing on their genes to the next generation. First Sam, and now Paul were passing their supernatural DNA on to offspring. Would their kids someday form a pack of their own? Years ago I had no doubt that I would be an important contributor to that cause. Now I wasn't sure how my decision to become one of the undead would affect my ability to do the same. I knew a wolf didn't have to possess the ability to phase at the time his heir was conceived in order to pass along the gene. My father's generation never had a need to phase or create a pack but the wolf gene was still passed along through him to me. Would my wolf genes pass down to my children even after I was made vampire?

Nessie and I had discussed at length what we wanted to do about having children. Nessie was strongly biased towards the superiority of the vampire race. It was likely the most challenging difference between us. She felt being a vampire was preferable to human. She shared that opinion exclusively with Emmett, and occasionally Bella and Alice. The others generally considered it a punishment or eternal purgatory of some sort, from what I could tell at least. Nessie had been blessed with the best of both worlds. She enjoyed the vampire traits that were useful and fun like strength and speed, but wasn't plagued at birth by the traits that prevented a normal life like the inability to eat, sleep, or walk in the sunlight. Nessie never got sick, she didn't crave blood as strongly as her parents, and could eat food if she chose. She healed fast if she ever did get injured, she was given a gift unique to vampires and unheard of among humans, and she slept but could go days without sleeping if she had to. Who knew a half vampire half human was just about the perfect creature! Coupling those characteristics of herself with growing up amongst her vampire relatives, she came to the conclusion our children would absolutely be born after I was turned.

Carlisle backed her up in saying that combination- being one part human and three parts vampire- would be the closest match to the family and most easily dealt with when it came to the pregnancy. Since Nahuel was the only other of Nessie's kind we knew of, and he had no children of his own, Carlisle was once again at a loss in predicting what would happen when Ness and I conceived. I disagreed with his logic, thinking the more human the child was, the less dangerous pregnancy and birth would be for both Nessie and the baby. I had not forgotten how my wife had come into this world. It was not something I wanted to ever experience again.

Edward sided with me, a rare occurrence let me tell you. He thought a baby that was mostly vampire would be highly unpredictable, perhaps growing even more rapidly than Nessie had. I know I had felt traumatized after Bella's pregnancy; and there were no words strong enough to describe Edward's experience. He was more worried about our decision to have kids than I was. Carlisle seemed to be confident he could handle whatever happened, he only wanted to be sure we discussed it beforehand. Which we did, at length, not long after the wedding. Maybe he wasn't as nervous because he hadn't been present at Nessie's birth. He might feel differently had he witnessed Edward performing a cesarean without anesthesia while I held Bella still. As I crossed the border into Washington State I made a mental note to check the date on Carlisle's medical degree. All this time we trusted him completely and his medical training might have been from the 18th century.

I arrived at my family's home a little after 7. The house was dark so I made my way to the beach where the bonfire was being held. The first person to notice my approach was Leah. She was wearing a tank top and a knee length skirt. Her hair had grown out a little longer than it had been when I saw her at the wedding. I wondered if that meant she was quitting the pack. She'd wanted to quit for years. I was surprised to see her looking so feminine. She ran to me and hugged me tight, which was even more unusual.

"Hey there, Jackass" she greeted once she pulled away from our embrace.

"Hey yourself" I replied, smiling down at her.

Leah and I had kissed once, when Nessie was a little over a year old. We had been in a heated argument over my devotion to Nessie and the Cullen's during that time. The pack had split when I left to guard Bella while she was pregnant. I hadn't realized at the time that I felt so strongly about protecting Bella because my imprint was living inside her. It caused all hell to break loose among the pack members for a long time afterwards. I can't even remember now the specifics of our fight but it was the kind of moment where if I hadn't kissed her I would have punched her lights out and I was brought up never to hit girls. Even Leah. I'd lied by omission when Nessie asked me how many girls I'd kissed. Sharing that with Leah had been exciting and passionate for about twenty seconds before she pushed me back with all her strength and punched me right between the eyes. We never spoke of it again and I'm positive she understood it was my way of hitting her without having to actually hit her. I bet Leah would have preferred being hit in the face than having to admit she'd enjoyed a kiss from Jacob Black. If Ness ever asked me I wouldn't lie again, but it was even more embarrassing than my first kiss with Stacey Brown so I hoped she'd never ask. She had already known that Bella punched me after our first kiss. I didn't want her to know not one, but two girls I kissed had followed it up with a punch to my face. A man's got to have a little pride.

"You look happy, Leah. It suits you" I told her.

"Thank you. I met someone. His name is David, I'll introduce you later, but you have to go find your dad. He's been checking his watch every five minutes waiting for you."

I thanked her and took off in search of my father. I found him sitting with Sue Clearwater and Charlie. I hadn't known they would be there. I gave my father a long hug and sat on the ground at his feet. He filled me in on what I'd missed since I'd been gone. He'd paid Seth to do some renovations and repairs to the house. Paul had been busy with Embry at the garage and tending to Rachel or he would have helped. I felt guilty for not being around to work on the house and save him the money he'd paid Seth. I was his only son. I asked about Rebecca and was glad to hear she was still happy in Hawaii. Thinking of Rachel having a baby reminded me that Rebecca and her husband still didn't have kids even after being married all these years. Charlie broke me from my reverie when he mentioned Renee. He said she had been calling him nearly every week in tears the first two months after the funeral but seems to have finally turned the corner on her grief. More than anything else, Charlie explained, Renee suffered with her regret from having not seen Bella in the years since the wedding. I nodded my head. We all told Bella she was making things worse by letting it go one so long but she was so stubborn. I was glad to hear Renee was doing better and I told Charlie so. He asked how Bella was and I didn't lie when I told him it was harder on her than we all thought.

"I think Alice planned their vacation as much for Bella spirits as her own pleasure. She's been kinda down the last few months, but seemed honestly excited to travel with the girls" I said reassuringly. "She called me a few days ago and I could tell from her voice that she sounded better" he agreed.

"Edward's been worried about her, I think, but she'll be fine. She'll be relieved to hear Renee is doing better" I said.

I told him Nessie's plan to visit Renee and he seemed glad to hear it was more than a few years away. As well as Renee might be doing, she apparently wasn't ready to meet a long lost grandchild just yet. Rachel told me more than I needed to know about the first trimester. She just reached 12 weeks, and I saw the sonogram picture. She left early since apparently pregnancy makes you need extra sleep. Paul took her home at 9 and I promised to visit the next day. I spent some time with my friends after the older folks went home to bed. We kept the fire going into the wee hours of the night, poking fun at one another and talking trash like old times.

"Jake, I've been meaning to ask you, does Nessie ever use her "gift" during sex?" Embry asked, placing his hands on his own cheeks. The other guys laughed.

"Yeah, does she ever give you visions of really hot girls when you're doing it? Like Megan Fox or something?" Seth asked, excited.

Last time I checked little Seth was still a virgin. Sam had brought a 12 pack and I was drunk enough to answer a bit too honestly. I hadn't spent my early twenties building up a tolerance to alcohol and it showed.

"It's freaking amazing, dude" I said to Embry. "Sometimes she holds it back until she's just about to come and then let's me feel her orgasm and my own at the same time."

Their mouths were gaping open. Maybe I'd shared too much. Jared passed me another beer.

"Holy shit" said Quil, another virgin. Claire was 11 years old; still many years away from making a man out of the current pack leader. I was feeling a little lightheaded. I scooted forward onto the sand and leaned my head back against the log I'd previously been sitting on.

"How's the pack doing? Anyone experience the fever recently?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, there has been one" Embry said. I sat up a little straighter and turned to Quil.

"Who? Someone new?" I asked desperately. My only chance to rejoin the wolves again and stop this incessant aging was if the packs numbers starting increasing again. The last member to phase was years ago.

"No, sorry man. It's Leah" Quil said, bursting my bubble. Dang.

"Wow, really?" I said. "She stopped phasing, didn't she?"

"When she met David" Seth informed me. No wonder she seemed so happy earlier.

It seemed the key to regaining human status was to stop phasing cold turkey and wait for the fever to set in. Despite my fuzzy minded state I thought it might be a good time to discuss with the guys my thoughts on pack evolution. I took another sip of the bottle Jared gave me.

"Have you guys talked about my idea that you all might have the fever set in soon?" They nodded. "At some point you all will have to start aging again or people will get suspicious. It's been nine years and you all still look like teenagers. I think Sam and I, and now Leah, experienced it early since we stopped phasing. But it'll happen to you all soon enough. I mean, the pack members from Old Quil's time aren't still around so it must happen sometime, right?"

"Our pack needed to exist longer than past generations because the Cullens' stayed in Forks so long. Usually covens don't stay in one place for so many years" Sam said. Bella and Nessie were the unusual circumstances that kept them in town longer than even they anticipated.

"The question is not whether or not it happens. We know from the legends that every wolf returns to human form at some point. The question is how and when does it happen?" said Quil.

"If a member is only supposed to be in the pack for a few years, then why didn't I get the fever a long time ago?" Jared asked. Good question.

"Because the Cullens didn't leave?" asked Seth.

"Jared's right. If the fever returning was involuntary then he would have experienced it by now to protect the secret, and the pack would have replenished itself by adding new member to replace him since the threat remained" said Embry.

"So then it must be voluntary. As long as the need exists, the pack continues. Members decide when their time comes to 'retire' and they stop phasing to bring on the fever" I concluded.

"That's what I think" Sam stated.

"There haven't been any new pack members to replace Sam, Jake, and Leah since the Cullen's finally left." Seth added.

"Seems logical" Jared said.

"So now you have to each decide when to give it up and the pack will be gone" I said grimly.

"Shit. Well, it's been fun" Embry said, raising his bottle. We all clinked our bottles in a toast to our friendship and the pack.

I finished off my bottle and tossed it into the sand by my feet. I was feeling good. The somber mood our conversation had taken reminded me of one other piece of information I needed to share with my pack brothers. There was no easy way to segway into this topic and the beer washed away any filter I had on my thoughts.

"So I'm gonna be a vampire soon" I blurted. Embry spit out his drink. Everyone was staring at me.

"I promised my wife" I said, as if that was enough of an explanation.

"Are you crazy?" asked Jared.

"Seriously, dude?" was Quil's response.

We talked for a while about my decision to join the Cullens. The guys had all imprinted, except Seth, so they understood the forces that were drawing me to Nessie. They didn't fight me for long after she was born. This was a larger pill to swallow but after a while, and a few more drinks, they ran out of questions and comments. It might have been the alcohol soothing us, but after I poured out my heart everyone sat quietly and stared at the fire. Sam poked the flames to keep it going.

"Are you guys still gonna hang out with me after I change?" I asked warily.

"Of course, man" Embry assured me with a pat on the back. I was a little farther gone than I thought and the strength of his pat toppled me over into the sand. The guys roared with laughter as I cursed and wiped sand off my cheek. I shook my head to get sand out of my hair which caused me to feel a wave of dizziness pass through me and I fell, face forward into the sand. Embry rolled me over onto my side so I wasn't eating sand and I groaned.

"You alright, buddy?" Embry asked, a wide grin on his face.

"I drank too much" I replied.

"No shit."

"You guys are lucky this stuff doesn't affect you."

"You kidding? It sucks. I've had four beers and I've only managed a slight buzz" Embry said.

"This is a nice change for me, Jake" Sam told me. "I'm not the only one drunk for once."

"Glad to be of service" I said, feeling extremely sleepy.

I had a mind to just stay there by the fire all night. The beach wasn't so bad since the fire had warmed the sand. I felt myself being lifted off the ground and vaguely realized they were helping me to someone's car. I didn't remember the drive home, and woke up the next morning still in my clothes from the night before. At least they left me in my too-small bed and not the couch or the floor.

I cleaned myself up and made my father some scrambled eggs before dragging my hung over ass over to Rachel and Paul's. I spent the day with my sister. She had Advil, bless her heart. We talked a while and then I went with her to the grocery store. She wasn't showing yet but there was something about her that made her look motherly. She looked so much like our mom. I decided not to tell her my big news quite yet. She had enough going on with the baby. There'd be time to tell her after he or she was born.

Later that night Nessie called me from Island Esme. She said she was having a good time with her aunts, and was enjoying the quality time with her mother. I asked how Bella was feeling since the vacation began and Ness said she was having fun. Alice wouldn't have it any other way. Talking to my wife made me realize just how much I missed her. I felt like I'd never survive another ten days without her. She told me about swimming with sea turtles and shopping in Rio de Janeiro. I told her the guys had gotten me drunk and made fun of me. She laughed and said, "I'm sorry, baby." After we said our 'I love you's' and 'goodnight's' I hung up the phone and looked around my childhood bedroom. I loved being with my family, and it was oddly comforting to know my father was sleeping in the next room, but after hearing Nessie's voice all I wanted in the world was to be with her. I wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone again tonight. I was so used to snuggling up against my warm blooded wife. As I drifted off to sleep I wondered if it was going to bother Nessie to sleep next to me once my skin was ice cold.

By the time I arrived home from work ten days later I was bursting at the seams. Nessie had texted me an hour and a half earlier to let me know she'd gotten home safely. She was doing laundry when I got inside our apartment. I could hear the humming of the machines. The washer and dryer are behind a bifold door in the hall bathroom. I appeared in the bathroom doorway and Nessie jumped. It's not easy to sneak up on her, but the washer was on spin cycle and making a lot of noise. She threw her arms around me and I kissed her feverishly. It felt so good to hold her.

I took her face gently in my hands and said, "I missed you, honey."

She beamed up at me and replied, "I missed you like crazy, Jacob!"

She placed her hand on my cheek and showed me the highlights from her trip. Her ability was way more convenient than uploading the pictures from her digital camera. She whizzed by an image of her in a tiny bikini on the beach.

I sucked on her neck and whispered, "Go back, baby. I wanna see that one again." She giggled and showed me another image of herself on the beach wearing a skimpy pink swimsuit.

"God, I missed you." I said, grabbing her hips and lifting her onto the washing machine. I watched the spin cycle giggle her breasts to and fro while I pulled off her gym shorts and panties in one swift movement. I made short work of my own clothes and Nessie reached behind her to unclasp her bra. She seemed to need this as much as I did. I was instantly hard when I saw her beautiful breasts bouncing around freely. She inched forward to the edge of the machine and tightened her fingers in my hair.

"I want you inside me, Jake" she said sternly. Yes, maam. I spread her legs gently and then gripped her hips in my hands. I usually disliked being so tall but my height turned out to be perfect for this activity. I thrust forward and entered my wife roughly. She moaned in pleasure and wrapped her legs around my waist. Her fingernails dug into my back as I dipped my head to taste her neck and shoulder. I pulled out almost completely and pushed forward again, feeling her stretch around me. I plunged inside her deeper and deeper, reacquainting my body with hers. She crashed her hips into mine with each thrust and before long I was close to coming. I slipped my finger into her folds and started making gentle teasing circles against her soft wet skin. She cried out and I soon felt her muscles clenching my cock. The jumble from the washer combined with her climax set me off in a painfully pleasurable way and I groaned as I came inside her.

"That was amazing, Jake" she said; breathless and still holding me close.

I kissed her lips a few times and began untangling our bodies. As I glided myself out of her I felt an odd sensation and looked down between our bodies.

"Fuck, baby. I forgot to put on a condom..."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Celebrate

"We need to celebrate tonight. You and your wife want to grab dinner with Michele and me?" Jason asked.

"Sure, man. Ness has been looking forward to meeting you two" I replied. Jason was a good guy and I'd met his wife Michele a few times at the shop. I thought she'd get along well with Nessie.

"Cool. I'll make sure we can get my mom to watch Annabelle and meet you at the diner around 6?" Jason said. Annabelle was their daughter who was born back in February.

"That's good. I'm gonna head home to give her the news" I told him.

"See ya… boss" he said smiling and mock punched my shoulder.

I was eager to get home to tell Nessie about my promotion. I felt like another piece of my life was settling into place. My boss had expressed his satisfaction with me the past few months and I knew if I kept it up then it was only a matter of time before he offered me something more. Today he made me supervisor of the garage. I'd still be working on the vehicles with Jason and the other guys, which I enjoyed, but I'd also have some office responsibilities, like ordering parts and organizing employee schedules, which meant more money. Alice could take her stock market tips and shove 'em. I didn't need her little Martha Stewart dealings… I could provide for my wife just fine!

I was whistling as I entered the apartment. Ness heard me and called from the bedroom, "Jake?"

"Yeah, honey. It's me" I called back.

I made my way into the bedroom and found her perched on the edge of the bed.

"You're home early" she noted.

"Yep. Craig gave me the supervisor job today. I'll be handling the garage purchasing, the guys' timesheets, and some other office stuff" I said, my chest practically puffed out in pride.

"Oh! That's great, Jake! I'm so proud of you" she squeaked and threw her arms around my neck.

"Thank you" I replied, hugging her tight.

"Um..." she said, pulling out of our embrace. The excitement that was in her face a moment ago quickly disappeared and she looked flustered.

"What's wrong, hun?" I asked.

She gave a stiff laugh and said, "Go look in the bathroom."

I took the few steps into the adjoining bathroom curious to see what was going on. I saw immediately what Ness had wanted me to find. There were three opened pregnancy tests on the sink counter. Two had little pink lines displayed in the viewing window. I didn't know what that was supposed to mean. The third had a digital screen that clearly read "pregnant." My breath caught in my chest and I picked it up to assess from all angles. No matter how I held it in the light the results were the same. Nessie was pregnant.

I backed out of the little bathroom with the test in my hands and a smile on my face. I didn't know how Nessie felt about this, but I was overjoyed. We hadn't made a final decision of when we'd try to have a baby- before or after- the big event, but now that the timing had been chosen for us I was relieved not to have to decide. It felt right leaving it up to fate. I looked at my wife and saw she was smiling too.

"I started suspecting a few days ago but wasn't sure. You're happy?" she asked nervously.

I was sure the growing grin on my face was answer enough but I responded, "I'm so excited, Ness." I sat next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. I kissed her check and held the test out for both of us to admire again.

"I can't believe it" she said.

"When do you think it happened?"

"The day I got back from our girls trip, I'm sure."

I smiled. "Yeah, that was probably it. Let's never tell our child he or she was conceived during washing machine sex, okay?"

She giggled and nodded her head. "Good idea."

"So you got back at the end of May… and today is July 17th" I said calculating the weeks in my head.

"Eight weeks" she said before I could add it up.

"Eight?" I asked.

"You start counting from your last period" she informed me.

"We should call Carlisle" I said. I immediately started worrying about Nessie's health. "How do you feel?" I felt her forehead, looked her right in the eyes for signs of discomfort, and placed a hand on her stomach.

"I feel okay. A little nauseous. And hungry. And tired."

"Oh crap, I forgot. Jason wanted to meet up with us for dinner. You know, to celebrate my promotion. I can cancel" I offered.

"No, don't be silly. I've been dying to meet Michele" Ness insisted, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded her head. "Okay, but let's not tell them any of this until Carlisle checks you out."

She agreed. I went back into the bathroom to shower and change while Nessie called Carlisle's office. I heard her speaking with the nurse and asking about his schedule.

"Okay, I'll stop by tomorrow. Thanks, Nancy."

"Tomorrow?" I asked, rubbing the towel through my wet hair.

"He's with patients the rest of the day. I don't want to tell him what's going on before I see him because my dad will hear him thinking about it when he gets home. He gets to the hospital at 10am tomorrow, so if we meet him there we can catch him before his first patient. Once we talk to him then we can tell mom and dad."

"Okay with me" I replied.

I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her, nuzzling my face in her bronze hair.

"We're going to be parents" I whispered.

"I can't believe it" she said again with a little giggle.

"You're going to make a great mother, Nessie" I assured her.

"Thank you, Jake. You'll be great too" she replied and then kissed me.

We left a little later to meet Jason and Michele. They were already seated when we arrived. To my surprise, they had their daughter with them. We made our introductions and took our seats.

"I hope you don't mind we brought Annabelle. Jason's mom was busy tonight. She'll probably sleep the whole time" explained Michele.

Michele had a sweet disposition and a friendly smile. She rocked the stroller back and forth and you could see the love in her eyes for her child.

"How old is she?" Nessie asked.

"Five and a half months already" Michele replied.

Nessie and Michele got along as well as I expected. Jason and I discussed baseball and did some shop talk. At some point the baby woke up crying and Michele asked Nessie to hold her while she prepared a bottle. Ness was stiff as a board when she took the infant in her arms but quickly relaxed and comforted Annabelle quite well. Michele handed Ness the bottle and let her do the feeding. The sight of her caring for a child did something to me. I suddenly wanted to spill the beans on our little secret to everyone in the diner. I was so proud to call this woman my wife and mother of my child.

We had a nice time with Jason and Michele. As we parted on the street corner Jason congratulated me again. I hoped my promotion wouldn't make working with him awkward. He was the best friend I'd made in Idaho. Ness thanked Michele for allowing her to help with the baby and they made plans to see each other again soon. It made me happy to see Ness connect with another regular person since most of her friends left town after high school. Ness would have another thing in common with Michele once the baby was born.

We saw Carlisle first thing the next morning and he confirmed the home tests were correct. He had a nurse check Ness to save her the embarrassment of having Carlisle do it and then sent the nurse out of the room. I was excited when Carlisle said he thought the baby was the right size for when we thought Ness conceived. He had a calendar shaped like a wheel that he used to confirm Ness' cycle and the date of conception. Since the baby's development looked consistent with the dates we gave, Carlisle thought it meant Ness had a good chance at a typical 9 month pregnancy. I was so relieved to hear that. He sent us upstairs to the maternity floor to get a proper ultrasound done. Ness was worried about the nurses upstairs noticing something different about her body but Carlisle promised her she resembled a human in every way they would be concerned with.

I held Nessie's hand while the doctor inserted a long probe inside her. She handled it a lot better than me. I realized I had some toughening up to do in the coming months.

"Look right here" the doctor said, pointing to the computer screen. "This is the yoke sack. Looks very healthy. And right here, this white blob shaped like a peanut is your baby."

The doctor printed us a picture. Ness sniffled back a few happy tears, and I kissed her forehead. It was truly an amazing sight. The doctor continued moving the probe around at different angles to take measurements.

"This is interesting" said the doctor.

"What?" asked Nessie.

"Let me see if I can get a still shot… okay, yes. Here we go. Right there" she pointed again. "A second yoke sack."

"What does that mean?" I asked nervously.

"It means there are two babies. Congratulations! You're having twins."

Ness and I looked at each other. I'm sure my eyes were bugging out of my head. She covered her mouth with her hands and giggled.

"Do twins run in the family?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, on my side" I answered.

I took Nessie's hand in mine and squeezed it tight.

We didn't speak much on the drive over to the Cullen's house later that day. I had a million thoughts running through my mind and couldn't settle on just one to speak aloud. We planned our arrival just a few minutes before Carlisle was due home from the hospital. We were greeted on the front porch by the nosiest of the Cullen clan.

"What's going on with you two?" demanded Alice without even a hello. "I'm getting some really strange visions of Nessie."

I was honestly surprised she hadn't found out before we did. Alice's ability was still partially clouded when it came to Nessie's future, but she says it's become clearer as she's grown.

"Where's mom and dad?" Nessie asked, ignoring Alice's question despite the hands on her hips and the tapping foot.

"They're at the piano. I know something's going on and I don't appreciate being kept in the dark, Renesmee."

"Then follow us inside, Aunt Alice" Nessie replied as sweetly as possible.

Alice huffed but followed us into the living room. Bella and Edward were sitting at the piano. Esme was on the sofa reading a magazine.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" asked Esme, looking up from her Southern Living.

Rose came down the stairs a moment later with Emmett and Jasper following close behind.

"Should we wait for Carlisle? Alice thinks you have something important to tell us?" questioned Rose.

"He already knows, actually" I said. "We had to talk to him first, this morning."

"What's happened?" asked Bella, swinging her legs around to face us.

"Everything's okay, mom. We have good news" Nessie assured her.

I couldn't help thinking about the babies in that moment. I looked over to Edward, assuming he'd pick up on that thought. He did of course, and turned to look at his daughter. Quicker than my eyes could follow he was by her side. He took her hands in his and asked her softly, "Is it true?"

I thought Nessie must be sharing a vision with him because she didn't respond to his question but smiled and Edward's facial expression slowly smoothed out. He looked up from Nessie's face over to Bella.

"Tell your mother, sweetheart" he urged.

Ness took a step closer to me and reached for my hand and said, "We found out today that I'm pregnant!"

"And it's twins" I chimed in.

Everyone was overjoyed for us as we expected. This announcement wasn't as tense as our engagement because this time Ness and I knew how the family would react. Although the timing had come as a bit of a surprise to all of us, it was no secret we planned on having a family together and Carlisle had made sure we discussed the decision thoroughly.

"Twins? My goodness!" said Esme.

"How are you feeling, Nessie? You said you went to see Carlisle?" Bella asked.

"Yes, we had an ultrasound at the hospital. That's how we found out there were two babies" Ness explained.

"Carlisle thinks they might be developing at a normal human pace, since they're mostly human genetically" I added.

"That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?" Esme said.

"Do you know if the babies are boys or girls?" Alice asked.

"Not yet" Nessie answered. "I'm 8 weeks. We won't know that until 20."

"Hmmm, three months before I can start designing the nursery!" Alice responded thoughtfully.

I could see the wheels turning in her head. Carlisle came through the front door then. He fielded a few medical questions from Edward and Bella. They were of course nervous about the pregnancy like I was.

"I was pleased to see the response from the ultrasound" Carlisle began. "Considering how the sonar waves were unable to penetrate the womb when you were pregnant, Bella, it was a great sign to see that Nessie's resembles a human womb. If her pregnancy progresses at this pace I don't see any reason why she couldn't deliver safely in the hospital."

Bella seemed relieved to hear that. Emmett started laughing to himself and Edward asked him, "What are you laughing at, Em?"

"I was just thinking about how Jacob here has just made you a 17-year-old grandfather!"

"You would think of that" Jasper replied, shaking his head.

"Carlisle, have you made any progress in finding out how Aro knew about their wedding?" Esme asked, probably trying to change the subject before Emmett could point out how Nessie was an 8 year-old mother-to-be.

Edward responded first, "We have come up with a few possible informers. Among them are Kate and Tanya. Possibly Alistair. We've contacted Zafrina and Nahuel to ask if they noticed anyone at the wedding acting peculiar. We were all so preoccupied with the events of the day that we might have missed any unusual behavior."

"I don't believe Tanya and Kate could be responsible. They were devastated after Irina's death, yes. But it was Aro himself who ended her life. Why would either of them do anything to help him?" Carlisle said.

"I never thought very much of Alistair. He was quiet and kept to himself. And he abandoned us before the Volturi even arrived" Bella said bitterly.

"He wasn't at the wedding, was he? I don't remember him." I asked, confused. Who could keep all these vamps straight?

"No he was not" replied Edward. "However, Alistair is a very talented tracker. It is his gift, and Aro might have a particular interest in him. He fears the Volturi very much. He might do just about anything to keep Aro happy."

"Renesmee should not be worrying about this right now. Jacob should take her home to rest and we'll work on uncovering the snitch" Rosalie said sternly.

"I am tired" Ness agreed. "You'll tell me if you learn anything new, right Dad?"

"Yes. And Rose is right. Don't worry about any of this, honey. I'm sure Aro doesn't know about the babies yet. So no one tell anybody that Nessie is expecting until we've given this more thought" said Edward.

Nessie nodded. I put my arm around her, signaling we should leave for the night.

"Be happy, dear. We will protect you" Carlisle said with a smile. "Your babies are not in any danger."

The Cullen's were on Aro's radar for sure. I thought before this happened that if our babies were born after I was made vampire the risks would be greater in all respects. It would have been riskier for Nessie to carry a mostly vampire baby, but also his or her birth would be another "first" for the vampire community. That would certainly gain the attention of the Volturi. Now, I realized, Ness and I were expecting two babies who were mostly human. Two human babies who would know the secret that vampires exist. How would Aro and his buddies respond to that? They demanded Bella be changed because of how much she knew. My children would know these same secrets- and at a much younger, emotionally immature, age. That could be potentially more dangerous if Aro decided to take measures in order to protect his kind from a couple of human children. I didn't express these new revelations to anyone. Well, no one except my eavesdropping father-in-law of course. I was sure he'd pass along my concerns to Carlisle.

I took Nessie home and made her some tea while she got ready for bed. We watched a little television together and soon she was asleep in my arms. I ran my fingers through Nessie's hair and tried to picture what our lives would be like a few years from then. I hoped I would come home from work each day and find the twins playing together while Nessie made dinner. Maybe we'd be living somewhere close to Rachel and Paul so that our kids could play together? If we had boys I would teach them how to fix cars. Heck, if we had girls I'd teach them how to fix cars.

I remembered what Carlisle had told Ness at the house. "Your babies are not in danger." I could only hope with my whole heart that the doctor was right about that.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm almost done this story. I have two chapters left to write and then I'm moving on to my next project.** **I probably won't post my next story, which is an Edward/Bella, until I'm nearly done because life is crazy and I hate not being able to post regularly. **

**I hope you enjoy Chapter 20, it has a little action at the end which I wasn't expecting myself to write when I started this story, but it just kind of happened. As always, thank you for reading!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty: Becoming parents<p>

The next seven months flew by in a blur. My new position at the garage demanded more of my time than I expected but I was doing well. Every moment I wasn't working I spent with Nessie. Her first trimester was the most difficult for her. She would wake up at least once a night sick to her stomach. Most times I held her hair for her or rubbed her back but other times she slammed the door in my face before I could get in there. She always had her morning sickness at night. I theorized it was because she was half vampire and had her days and nights mixed up. Bella rolled her eyes at me when she heard that one.

The nausea passed around the 15th week and Nessie was much happier after that. She ate like she'd never seen food before. Most women claim to have strange food cravings when they were pregnant. Well, my wife craved blood. But that was on a normal day. While pregnant she craved all kinds of foods, and wanted them mixed with blood. On her birthday, in September, Carlisle brought her a unit of donated human blood. She hadn't had it since she was an infant.

"Don't tell you father I brought you this" Carlisle warned.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't! Thank you so much, Grandpa!"

I thought I was going to hurl when I saw her put it in the blender to make a strawberry banana blood smoothie. Even Carlisle looked a little put off by her choice of snack. He raised his eyebrows at me as if to say, "Hey, whatever makes her happy."

"Doc, do you think Nessie's cravings for blood are a sign that the babies will want to drink blood once they're born?" I asked. I would love my children no matter what their appetites consisted of, but I sincerely hoped it wasn't going to be blood smoothies.

"No, I don't think so. There's isn't much evidence to suggest a woman's cravings are related to the child's tastes. It's more likely Nessie is craving the blood because it is what _her_ body needs in order to supply nutrients to the babies. I wouldn't worry" he replied, smiling. Hey, I had to ask.

Ness started to show around 19 weeks. Once she started wearing those pants with the elastic waistbands she declared she was done with sex. She said she felt fat and that it was too weird to do _that_ with our babies between us. I read a lot of couples feel that way but for Nessie it was much stronger because she could actually hear the babies' heartbeats thumping away in there. The no sex thing was difficult for me at first. I took a lot of long showers after that. But I understood how she felt and never gave her a hard time. In the scheme of things, I had much greater concerns than being horny.

A lot of nights Edward and Carlisle would come over after Nessie went to bed to discuss the problem of who from the wedding might have been giving the Volturi information about our family. We hadn't received another letter from Aro, and Alice hadn't gotten any visions, so we felt comfortable that whoever was watching us hadn't figured out Nessie was pregnant yet. Now that she had a visible baby bump, if this traitor so much as saw her the secret would be out. Carlisle agreed it was time to step it up a notch.

Edward and Bella decided to visit Tanya and Kate up in Denali. It was a recon mission in which Edward planned to listen to their thoughts in hopes of catching them thinking about the Volturi, Nessie, or anything that might give them away. They were gone a little over a week, and when they returned, Edward was convinced of Tanya and Kate's innocence. While it was a relief to know the Cullen's close friends were not double-crossing us, it did leave us scratching our heads as to who was.

Ness had another ultrasound at the hospital when she was 22 weeks. This time it was on the belly and not internal so Carlisle did it himself. We discovered at that time we were having a girl and a boy. Nessie was thrilled and so was I. We agreed she'd name the girl and I the boy. I couldn't imagine Nessie following her mother's tradition and naming our daughter Sarbel or Belsar, but just in case I insisted we have veto power on each others' selections.

Rachel had a baby boy in November and named him Daniel. Bella, Nessie, and I went to Forks to visit them. We spent time with Charlie and Billy while we were there. I had a great time because my sister, Rebecca, flew up from Hawaii to help Rachel out for a few weeks. It was wonderful to be in the same room as my father and both sisters for the first time in I don't know how long. Rebecca said Nessie looked great for being six months pregnant with twins. She dug out a picture of our mother, pregnant with my sisters, to compare. I'd never seen the picture and we were all happy Rebecca brought it.

Paul was turning out to be a good husband. He took excellent care of Rachel and the baby. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him change a few diapers. He of course reminded me I'd have double the pleasure of that experience in just a few months. I was looking forward to it more than he knew.

When Nessie reached 8 months I really began to get nervous about the birth.

Nessie's due date was Feb 19th. We'd prepared in all the human ways. We had cribs, car seats, onesies, and binkies. We'd read the What To Expect books and let Alice decorate the babies bedroom. According to Alice, the twins could share for a few months, but then we had to move to a bigger place so they could have their own rooms. We would be relocating again with the rest of the family before the babies turned 2 so I thought it would be alright until then. Alice made a face but said it was something we could discuss at a later time.

Carlisle and Edward had still not discovered who was spying on us when we had our final family meeting a few weeks before the babies were born.

"I'll be there in case there are any unexplainable complications, but I don't expect there to be any issues. You've done so well, Nessie" Carlisle said.

"And I have been watching Aro, Marcus, and Caius closely. They haven't made any decisions involving any of us, so you'll be safe" added Alice.

"Do you think whoever was watching Jake and me have stopped?" Ness asked.

Edward replied, "We're doing everything we can think of to protect you. We've checked the woods every night and haven't picked up any other vampire scents. We've been careful not to tell anyone about the babies. And Alice just said she hasn't had any visions."

"I'll stand guard outside your hospital room, Ness" Emmett joked.

"Are you nervous, honey?" Bella asked.

"I'm excited. I can't wait to see their little faces" Ness said.

"Can we hear the names now?" Rosalie asked, hopeful.

Nessie shook her head. "Nope, you have to wait until they're born."

I put my hand on Nessie's stomach to feel my babies moving. It was fascinating to me.

"Edward, can you hear what they're thinking in there?" I asked.

"You can do that?" Ness asked her father in amazement. Edward was sitting a few feet away on the edge of the sofa. He smiled.

"I could hear your thoughts before you were born, sweetheart" he replied gently.

Nessie waved her father over and I stood up so Edward could sit next to her. He sat close to Nessie and took her hand in his. Everyone was quiet as Edward listened.

"Hmm, it is much different than when I listened to you, honey" Edward said. "They aren't thinking in words, obviously. I can hear emotions. They are aware of each other." He laughed.

"They feel crowded, but don't understand why. And safe. They are very happy."

I looked at my wife and she had tears in her eyes. I put my hand on her knee and sat on the edge of the glass coffee table in front of her. I stared at her face until she lifted her head any met my eyes with hers.

"I love you" I said.

"Me too" she replied.

Just then Esme shooed me off her coffee table. Geez. She hadn't seemed to mind Edward sitting on the arm of the sofa earlier. My eyes darted over to Edward who was trying to suppress a tiny smile.

A few weeks later Nessie and I were watching the news in bed. The babies were due in one week but the doctors at the hospital said twins usually came early. Nessie was lucky that both babies were in the right position for a normal delivery. Carlisle had been a little nervous about the amount of attention and testing she would receive if she had to deliver by cesarean. For days I'd been jumping to my feet every time Nessie made the slightest sound of discomfort. She had two full grown babies inside her, so she made a lot of noises. She rolled over onto her side and moaned a little. I kept my eyes on the television until I saw her grab her stomach with both hands.

"Ness, what's wrong?" I said for about the hundredth time, expecting her to tell me she was fine.

"I don't know for sure, Jake, but I feel like it might be time to call the hospital" she said calmly.

I shot out of bed and came around to kneel by her side.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand with one hand and put my other on her belly.

"I've been having cramps for a few hours. No more than normal lately. But now they're getting stronger."

That was enough convincing for me. I helped her dress, walked her down to the car, and we were on our way to the hospital. Ness called Bella on the way who said she'd meet us there.

Twenty one hours later Nessie and I met our son and daughter. Jeremy was first, weighing 5 lbs 9oz, followed by Natalie who weighed 5 lbs, 3oz. They both had jet black hair and light brown skin. Jeremy let out his first cry on his way out but Natalie needed a little convincing. I followed the nurses as they took them to the bassinets under those warming lamps. Our little girl let out her first cry and then I finally sucked in a breath of my own. I wouldn't have believed that there was any emotion comparable to how it had felt to imprint on Nessie nine years earlier. But, somehow when I saw my children for the first time, the connection I felt was even stronger, if that's possible. One of the nurses handed Jeremy to Nessie and when Natalie was wrapped up she was handed to me. I walked over to Nessie's side so she could look at both our children. She was more tired than I'd ever seen her, but she was also more beautiful than ever.

Bella and Edward were sitting with Nessie in her recovery room a few hours later. Emmett was roaming the halls as promised, just as a precaution. The babies were asleep and I was on the phone giving everyone in Forks the news. Emmett knocked on the door softly before entering.

"Anyone need anything? I'm going down to the cafeteria to take a look around."

Nessie shook her head and I glanced over at my half eaten hamburger before shaking my head no. Bella was watching the babies sleep and stroking their hair gently. Edward was trying to convince Nessie to eat something but she insisted she didn't want anything the hospital had brought. I was about to offer her my hamburger when I saw someone peering through the glass window of the hospital door.

I had been awake for nearly 35 hours and maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I couldn't place his face, but I was sure I'd seen him before. I rushed to the door and flung it open. As quickly as he had appeared outside Nessie's room, he was gone.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, alarmed by my actions. Edward jumped to his feet and followed me out into the hall.

"Just stay in there with Nessie and the babies, Bella. Please." Edward begged her. He'd read in my thoughts that I'd seen someone looking into the room.

"He went that way" Edward said so quietly I almost didn't hear him. "Come on."

I followed Edward down the hall and into the emergency stairwell.

_Can you recognize his face?_ I asked silently.

"No, but I can smell him. He's a vampire. And he went up" Edward replied.

We climbed two more flights of stairs and entered the cardiology floor of the hospital. Edward darted down the hall faster than I could follow with my eyes since there were no doctors or patients in sight. He opened a door on the left side of the hall and motioned for me to hurry. The door led to another staircase. The roof. Edward climbed up first and I was right behind him. The roof was larger than I expected and there were lots of structures scattered around for various purposes, like power generation, and ventilation.

Edward motioned for me to hide behind a large air vent and then he crouched down like a leopard ready to pounce. I heard something move closer at a swift pace and faster than my eyes could focus, Edward sprung up and stopped the mystery person with a shove of his hands. Their contact made a loud crashing noise like thunder. Both fell to the ground and then jumped up to face one another, snarling.

"Nahuel" Edward said.

Nahuel? Why would he betray the Cullens? I stepped out from behind the vent. I hadn't been seen yet but I was sure the other vampire hybrid could sense my presence. There was no point in hiding any longer.

"What are you doing here, Nahuel? Edward demanded.

"I had to see if it was true. I had to be sure" he answered.

"We know you've been keeping tabs on Nessie and I. What have you told Aro?" I yelled.

I was fired up. I should have known I couldn't trust this guy. Years ago he thought he could stake a claim on Nessie just because they were both half vampire and half human. As if that gave him some kind of right to her.

Nahuel was crouched like Edward, poised to attack. "I had no choice. I came to help your family when Renesmee was born. I exposed myself to the Volturi to save her" he said.

"You know how grateful we are for your help, Nahuel" Edward said. "We all owe you our lives. We know that."

"So, you thought that entitled you to her?" I shouted "And because you couldn't have her you turn on all of us?"

"Jacob, calm down" Edward warned.

"For years I looked forward to her reaching adulthood so I could court her. And then I find out she's given her heart to a werewolf!" Nahuel said bitterly.

"So you went to Aro?" I asked.

"He found me. Like I said, helping you all exposed me. I was happy to do what he asked. I'd rather Nessie were dead than fucking a werewolf."

At that, Edward leapt forward and tackled Nahuel. He tightened his hands around his throat and Nahuel shrieked.

"What have you told the Volturi!" Edward growled.

I'd never seen him look so lethal. I inched forward to see Nahuel's face but kept out of his arms reach. He was clearly in pain and his arms were flailing trying to release himself from Edward's grasp.

"That she wed the wolf. Ahhhh! And he wanted to know when she conceived. I had to do as he asked to protect myself."

"Have you told him what you saw here today?" I demanded.

"No! No, I had to be sure I was right. I was visiting my sister and haven't been back here in months. I saw you bring her here but I didn't know why. I had to see it with my own eyes before I alerted Aro" he cried out. "Don't kill me. Please. I won't tell. I don't care anymore. I'll go home and you'll never see me again! Please don't kill me!"

Edward had tightened his grasp. Nahuel made a terrible noise as I saw his head start to detach.

"You're going to kill him?" I asked Edward.

"No, you are!" he shouted. "He's lying. I read his thoughts, Jacob."

I hesitated for a moment, tried to think of another solution. Nahuel wiggled under Edward's hands.

"Do it now! If you don't break off his head, Jacob, we will never be safe" Edward commanded again.

I thought of my wife downstairs. My innocent children, only hours old. I knew I had to protect them. I reached out and grabbed the vampire by the head and pulled with all my strength. Edward's hand's tightened further around his neck as I pulled and within seconds it was over.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: Dilemmas

It had been four months since Edward and I had killed Nahuel and I was having a difficult time getting past it. I had never killed anyone before, not in human form at least. It had felt different when I was part of the pack, and we fought and killed a number of vampires to protect our land and families. To have been in human form, and kill one with my bare hands was taking a mental toll on me. I had recurring nightmares of my own head being ripped off and burned in front of my family.

If dealing with my guilt over Nahuel's death wasn't enough, I had other problems I was struggling with silently. It had been two years since I made my promise to Nessie to be changed. I couldn't believe how quickly the time had passed. I was now entering into the last year of my human life and I hadn't done nearly as much preparing as I thought I would by this time. I had told myself that three years was enough time to adjust to my decision. I thought I'd made peace with it when my father and friends more or less accepted my choice. Then, my children were born, and my perspective on life changed.

Jeremy and Natalie were the two most beautiful, happy, and healthy human babies I'd ever seen. In the four months since they were born they had grown at a normal pace as Carlisle predicted. Their hearts beat normally. They ate formula with no complaints, and when we offered them animal blood neither one would drink it. They slept as much as normal babies.

Carlisle told us after many physical examinations since they were born, that he expects the twins will have normal human life expectancies. They seemed to have some vampiric traits, but show no signs of immortality. They were strong and fast. They could hold their heads up before two months. Jeremy rolled over first, just before he turned four months old. He'd rolled clear across the room in a few seconds, scaring the crap out of me. Their skin would sparkle slightly in the sunlight the way Nessie's did, but it wasn't any more obvious than hers. Natalie got her first cold that winter, and Jeremy has had diaper rashes. For the most part, their bodies are human.

I was relieved to hear my children would have normal lives, but it gave me new reasons to want to stay human too. I had a chance to be the human role model for my kids, as the only member of the immediate family who wasn't a vampire. I thought it would be good for them to see their dad was like them. Maybe I was just nervous that my grace period was almost up. Was I trying to convince myself that I would be backing out of the deal with Nessie for my kids benefit rather than my own? I didn't know. I kept these feelings from Nessie. She wouldn't react well if she knew I was having second thoughts. She just assumed I would go through with my change as planned, and when our children grew up we'd have Carlisle change them too.

I woke up in a panic one night in June. I was sweating and shaking as I recalled a dark figure standing behind me and reaching for my neck. I always woke up right as the dark figure grasped my neck and yanked.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" Nessie asked me groggily.

"I'm okay. It's just… I had that dream again. Go back to sleep" I whispered.

I sat up, unwilling to reclose my eyes just yet. I looked over at the baby monitor to make sure Jeremy and Natalie were alright in their room. Safe and asleep. A perk to having vampires in your immediate family was a surplus of babysitters willing to work all night long. Luckily, none of them were over that night.

"Jake, you're not okay" Ness replied rubbing her eyes. "Come here, lie next to me."

I inched closer to her and let my head fall back against her shoulder. She wrapped both arms around my shoulders and hugged tightly. I had to admit that I immediately felt better and allowed myself to relax a bit and close my eyes. Nessie's left hand started rubbing my arm and slowly grazed across my chest. She pressed gently as she caressed my muscles, and her lips started kissing my neck.

"What are you doing, Renesmee" I asked playfully.

"Making love to my husband" she whispered in my ear as she slid her thin frame over me.

"You won't be having any more nightmares when I'm through with you" she clarified.

Before I could respond she sat up, straddling my hips, and pulled her nightshirt over her head in one quick motion. We hadn't made love since the twins were born so this was certainly unexpected. I leaned up on my elbows and watched Nessie as she pulled my t-shirt off easily. She removed my boxers next and wound her fingers around my cock. I groaned as her thumb passed over the tip, and then she rubbed me against the wet spot on her panties. I grabbed Nessie's hips and pulled her up to her knees; she braced herself with both hands on my chest. I pulled her panties down her thighs and helped her out of them. With Ness still kneeling over my cock, I positioned myself right at her entrance.

"Ride me, baby" I said, my voice low and full of lust.

She smiled, scraping her nails on my chest as she lowered herself onto my waiting cock. I cried out in pleasure from the feel of her hot center coating me inch by inch. I felt my whole body tense up from her touch and I needed a distraction before I lost control.

"Are you okay, honey, does this hurt you?" I asked her. She shook her head frantically and started grinding up and down on my shaft.

"No, Jake. Baby, you feel amazing."

"Oh fuck, Ness. I missed being inside you" I told her as I ran my hands up and down her soft thighs.

One of the babies made a noise and fidgeted around in the other room. We both looked to the monitor and the sight of sleeping infants reminded me that I desperately needed to get a condom from my nightstand. Nessie had already turned her attention back to my aching body and was slamming her hips down making contact with mine. As I watched myself sliding in and out of her I quickly forgot what I had been thinking about moments before. I reached up to grasp both Nessie's breasts and she started moaning as I fondled them. I twisted her nipples between my thumb and index finger which caused her to yell out her approval.

Ness changed the angle of her gyration, thrusting her pelvic bone down and forward faster and faster. I felt myself teetering on the edge of release and reached for her hips with both hands. Stilling her with my hands I sat up and flipped Nessie onto her back. She squealed in delight as I pushed her knees apart roughly and plunged my length back inside her. She lifted her head to plant kisses on my neck and shoulder as I established a steady rhythm. I started rubbing her clit with one finger when I felt myself getting close to climax.

"Yes!" she cried out under her breath, mindful of the babies.

My brain finally registered again that we weren't using protection just as Nessie's walls started to clamp down around my cock. I held out until her orgasm finally subsided and pulled out seconds before I succumbed to the pleasure; shooting my cum onto her stomach. I groaned and panted as the waves passed over me. I immediately felt terrible for not warning her or asking permission to come on her like that.

When I opened my eyes Ness was looking down at herself giggling. She lay her head back on the bed and threw her arms up over her head sighing in satisfaction. I grabbed my t-shirt that was hanging off the end of the bed and gently cleaned her up. Then I lay back next to her, completely spent, and she snuggled up into my side.

"My God, woman. What has gotten into you?" I asked, my mind still whirling around the events that just took place.

"Nothing. I just wanted to help you sleep" she said innocently, a small smile creeping over her flushed face.

"Ness, didn't you even notice I never put on a condom?" I responded.

"Oh Jake... I got a prescription for the pill when the doctor cleared me for sex at my checkup eight weeks ago" she said stifling a laugh. "I didn't tell you then because it takes a few months to kick in, and honestly I wasn't ready to resume sex just yet."

"Are you sure the pill's gonna work on you, baby?" I asked perplexed by this new information.

"My grandfather said everything with my pregnancy was normal so he was confident my body would respond the same as other women" she said.

I thought for a minute before saying, "So... now you're ready to start having sex again?"

She smiled devilishly and said, "What do you think?" before cupping the back of my neck with her hand and rolling me onto her once again.

The next night we took the babies over to the house so they could spend some time with the family. After Edward had had a few minutes holding the twins and chatting with Nessie I asked him in my head if he would talk to me privately. Without saying a word he excused himself and we snuck down to Nessie's old room where we couldn't be overheard. I needed to ask his opinion on this turning into a vampire business.

"I don't think Jeremy and Natalie should become vampires" I began abruptly.

"I agree with you" Edward replied. His eyebrows furrowed, obviously not understanding where I was going with this. Normally he'd be at least two questions ahead of me. Maybe he was being more careful about listening in to my head?

"Nessie does" I clarified. He was quiet a moment, deciding how to respond.

"Jacob, no one will turn them against their will, even if it is Nessie's desire. And if the twins truly are aging normally you have eighteen years to decide what to do about that. Nessie understands they must be adults first."

"Yes, but if my children have a chance to live normal human lives then I might want to share that with them" I replied hesitantly.

"I see" he said softly. He chuckled under his breath. "Jacob, my daughter is just as stubborn as my wife. I understand what you're saying so I wish you luck in changing Nessie's mind about your little arrangement." He smirked.

"Edward, this is a serious problem. I still can't bear the thought of Nessie's life continuing on forever without me, leaving her alone like that, but the chance to give my kids their humanity?" I pleaded, hoping he'd understand what I was trying to say.

"I do understand, Jacob. You think that if you're turned then you won't be able to convince the twins to stay human."

"Yes" I said, fighting back my emotions.

" I think you're right that if they see their whole family is immortal they will want to be too. You know all too well that I couldn't convince Bella to be the only human member in a family of vampires. I don't expect you'd have much more success with Jeremy or Nat" he said.

"So I'm asking for your help. What do you think I should do, Edward?" I asked.

"You have to be honest with her about what you told me. You can't help the way you feel and she shouldn't get mad at you for expressing your concerns. What Nessie is asking of you is irreversible. It is not something you should do while you still have doubts" he said, a very serious expression crossed his face.

"I know. I know" I said sincerely.

"If I can give you another piece of advice, Jacob. There's a big difference between feeling nervous about being changed, and being undecided about it."

I sat on the edge of Nessie's old bed and put my head in my hands.

"Bella agonized over how her decision would hurt her family but she never second guessed the choice she made" he continued. "You have to make the right decision for you."

I made myself raise my head to meet his eyes with mine.

"I need to be with her forever, Edward. I'm not undecided about that" I said confidently. "My concern now is for my children. I don't know what's best for them."

"Having two parents who love them is what's best for them. You be there as they grow up, teach them right from wrong, and let them decide what they want for their own lives" he said softly.

He patted my shoulder and smiled warmly before leaving me alone to think.

I meant to talk to Nessie about my concerns, I really did, but the following afternoon I came home to find Michele and Annabelle in our house. The twins were asleep in their swings and Annabelle was playing with blocks on the floor. This wasn't the first time Nessie and Michele had gotten together since the babies were born but both women seemed quiet and agitated when I walked in. I didn't know what had occurred while I was at work but I could tell something wasn't right.

"Jake, how old are you?" Michele asked me directly without so much as a hello.

I glanced over at Nessie and saw fear in her eyes. When I turned back to Michele I saw she was holding my high school yearbook in her lap. When we moved here I pretended to be 18 so I could enroll in college as a freshman, and because I still looked 18. Which meant Jason and Michele thought I was now about 20, but here was Michele sitting with physical proof in her hands that I'd been lying. I didn't know what else to say so I told her my real age.

"I'm 27" I said, scratching the back of my head nervously. "I lied about my age when I moved to town because, ah, Nessie was so much younger than me and we didn't want people to talk." That seemed plausible enough to me.

Michele asked, "Why do you look exactly the same now as you do in this yearbook?"

She held it up so I could see it was from my sophomore year. Shit. That picture was taken right after I joined the pack and cut my hair… when I was 16 years old. It had been two years since I stopped phasing and I knew for sure I was aging again, but obviously not enough to ease the suspicions of my friend's wife.

"Have you stumbled upon the fountain of youth, Jacob?" she asked sarcastically. "Otherwise, I don't see how you can still look like a 16 year-old boy ten years after graduating!"

"I, uh, am just lucky I guess" I replied.

"I need to go" Michele said abruptly. She yanked her daughter off the floor startling her to tears. She grabbed her purse from the coffee table and looked cautiously at Nessie and then me before hurrying out the front door.

"I'm so sorry, Jake!" Nessie said the second Michele was gone.

"How did she find my yearbook?" I asked.

"She called this morning wanting to visit the twins. She said Annabelle needed some social interaction so I invited them over for lunch. We were just sitting having coffee, talking about our childhoods and high school experiences, when Michele asked to see my yearbook. I didn't think anything of it since it was only two years ago for me. Nat started crying so I told Michele where my yearbook was in our room. I was feeding Nat when Michele came back with both our books."

"It's okay. So it seems weird that I still look like a teenager. That doesn't mean she's going to figure us all out. I'm not even one of you yet. Trust me, she'll never come to the conclusion that I'm a retired werewolf" I said with a chuckle.

The idea of it was actually kind of funny.

"But Jake, I didn't even tell you the worst part yet" Nessie said, tears forming in her beautiful brown eyes. "I think she came here purposely to look at our pictures."

"Why do you think that?" I asked, new fear rising up inside me.

"The last time we hung out together Grandma and Grandpa dropped by to visit the babies while she was here. When Grandpa introduced himself as Dr. Carlisle Cullen she got this funny look on her face, like she knew him. And today she tells me her grandmother was treated by a Dr. Cullen many years ago. Like, maybe forty years ago…"

"What? How would Michele even know that?" I asked. This was bad.

"Apparently this Dr. Cullen treated her grandmother after a car accident and she likes to tell the story of the handsome doctor who saved her life."

"Why didn't Carlisle just tell her it was his father and not him?" I questioned.

"She didn't tell me she made the connection until today. She said she googled Grandpa and showed her grandmother his picture and of course she recognized him."

"Shit. Well, maybe her grandmother is too old to remember correctly. Maybe Michele could have shown her a picture of Noah Wyle and she'd have been just as positive that was the doctor from her accident!"

"Yeah, maybe" Nessie said. "Except now Michele sees that you and I don't appear to be aging either."

"We're fucked" I said loudly.

"Shhhh, the babies" she corrected me.

"Sorry. We're fucked" I whispered.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Ok, so I got carried away with this chapter and ended up having to make Chapter 23 be the final one. I'll have that posted in a few days. Thank you so much to everyone who's been reading J&R! Please review!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Two: Relocation<p>

I sat down with Nessie a few nights later and explained to her everything I was feeling. To my surprise she actually agreed that letting Jeremy and Natalie decide for themselves when, if ever, they would become vampires was the right thing to do. She cried as she told me how devastated she would feel if either of them chose to stay human. She didn't think she could bear watching her little babies grow old. I hugged her tightly and told her that no matter what their decisions, she would always have me. And it was the truth. I promised her I'd love her forever and that was exactly what I was going to do.

We looked around the apartment where our little family began, now filled with moving boxes, and I couldn't help feeling sentimental. I would miss this place. It was no surprise that once we informed the rest of the family about Michele's revelation, they reluctantly decided that it was time to move on. We'd lived here only a few years but there was no sense in dwelling on the circumstances we found ourselves in. If it hadn't been Michele, it would soon have been some other reason that forced us to leave. It was something I knew I needed to get used to.

To my surprise, our future destination was to be Soldotna, Alaska which was located 3 hours south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. It had been Kate's suggestion when Bella was talking about our growing family during Edward's and her fact finding mission in Denali. Kate was eager to have us closer and thought the small town of 4,100 inhabitants would fit our needs. It was only a few hours run from Kate, Tanya, and Garrett and had a nice homey feel to the community, so she said.

Alice and Rose decided to purchase a large two bedroom penthouse apartment in downtown Anchorage to satisfy their desire for city life. Since it was only a few hours away and both drove like bats out of Hell, it was almost like they'd still be living next door. Jasper and Emmett agreed to live with them there without much convincing. Carlisle thought it was wise for us to reside in a few different homes considering the exponential growth of the coven. In less than ten years their numbers had grown from seven, to nine, to now twelve. I counted myself since I was now fully committed to joining them. No turning back for Jacob Black.

The most exciting part of this move for me was going to be connecting with the Kenaitze tribe that lived in the area. I was very touched that Carlisle would take my heritage into consideration when choosing our next destination. He knew it was important for me to have the kids exposed to that culture. I'm sure the Kenaitze's were very different from the Quileute's, so it would be an experience for me too. One I was greatly looking forward to.

We arrived in Alaska in mid July after having silently departed Mountain Home in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye to anyone we knew there. Carlisle rented a three bedroom house just inside of town until we each decided where we wanted to live. There hadn't been as much time to properly put down roots in this new place as had been done in Forks and Mountain Home.

Nessie and I soon found a cute cottage type house that we could rent only a few blocks from the center of town. We moved in a month later when the twins were about six months old. Esme didn't like the idea of being in a quiet house with just Carlisle so Edward and Bella agreed to live with them. They began building a new home overlooking Nordic Lake. It would have four large bedrooms to accommodate Alice and Jasper, and Rose and Emmett, when they were in town. The Central Peninsula Hospital was thrilled to have Carlisle offer his expertise and Esme started volunteering at the high school. She was also involved in all the decisions regarding the design and decorating for the new house.

Bella and I were both offered jobs at Mykel's, the only upscale restaurant in town. Bells was excited to start mingling with town folk but it was not what I was hoping to do for income. I was back to living off Alice's stock tips for the time being. The only mechanics in town weren't hiring, though the owner was very friendly and told me he would call as soon as he had something for me. I also considered learning more about fishing and hunting (with weapons, not teeth) since those pastimes were so popular in that region. Maybe it was time for a career change? In the meantime, it was fun getting to hang out with Bella at the restaurant and I brought in some good tips. University of Alaska- Anchorage was just outside town, on the other side of the winding river, so Edward and Bella both enrolled. Edward was so studious, but I wondered if he ever tired of gaining knowledge. I never once heard him express an interest in finding an actual job.

Rose and Alice were having fun exploring the "big city" and Esme had just left the night before to visit them. They were not far away by any means, but we could all tell she was missing them living under her roof. Bella and I both worked until close at Mykel's that night so we drove home together. I'd traded in my man-toy of a vehicle before we left Idaho. It got enough strange looks down in the Lower forty eight, I couldn't imagine what people up here would think. I was now sporting a Cadillac SUV. Still a head turner in Soldotna, I know, but no one would let me get the Hyundai.

I followed Bells inside since Nessie and the babies were there. Our house had just been painted inside and out and the fumes were overbearing to her sensitive nose, meaning we'd be spending another night here.

"How was work?" Edward greeted us from the living room. I could see Ness asleep on the couch, and both babies in the pack-and-play were also zonked.

"Wonderful, if you don't count the three separate occasions when male customers asked me if I'd considered working at Good Time Charlie's" Bella hissed.

I couldn't help but laugh, hard. Emmett, Jasper, and I had gone there our second night in town because I was hungry and they wanted to get out and see the town. Once inside, we realized Good Time Charlie's was a topless bar that only served beer and burgers. We stayed so I could eat but no girls ever came out from behind the red velvet curtains. It turned out Soldotna had a topless bar, but didn't actually have any exotic dancers to work in it. The bartender offered to put a pornographic video tape in the VCR for us but I politely declined.

"Bells, just take it as a compliment," I joked. "They obviously don't see beautiful women like yourself very often."

"Great, that's comforting. Thanks, Jacob" she snapped.

Edward was trying not to smile. I knew the behavior of the local men made him angry but Bella could obviously take care of herself now. "It will be alright, Love. Once everyone gets to know you, and me, and the rest of us they will stop making such suggestions" he offered her.

She slumped down in an armchair and craned her neck back to look up at Edward. He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

"How long has Nessie been asleep?" I asked.

"About an hour now. She was trying so hard to wait up for you" Edward replied.

I looked at my watch. "It's only eleven fifteen," I chuckled.

"Yes, well, your children are quite the handful" he replied. I noticed the burp cloth on his shoulder and smirked. His and Bella's time with Nessie had certainly been accelerated, and they were appreciating the twins' babyhoods a great deal.

I sat down on the couch by Nessie, careful not to wake her. Edward leaned against the fireplace's giant stone mantel and looked at me.

"Jacob, I almost forgot to mention... Seth called while you two were working. He wants to visit as soon as your house is ready for receiving company. Have you decided when to meet with the Kenaitze tribal elder yet? I think he was hoping to tag along."

Sue Clearwater, Seth's mother, had moved in with Charlie a few months back. Leah and David were now living in Sue's house. I'd bet anything that was the motivation behind Seth's desire to visit so soon.

"Thanks. I'll call him back tomorrow and tell him to come up" I said.

I carried my wife to the spare bedroom and pulled the covers over her. I crept back into the living room to get Jeremy and Natalie but Bella waved me off.

"We'll watch them, Jake. Get some sleep" she whispered.

I mouthed a thank you her way and turned on my heels back to the bedroom.

I picked Seth up from the airport the following Thursday. It was great to see him after so long. He told me Leah and David were engaged. So were Embry and Amanda. Seth said my father was doing well and enjoyed having Rachel and Daniel close by. My dad had only met Jeremy and Nat once. I needed to bring them to La Push to see him again once our lives settled down a little more.

On Friday, Seth and I went to meet with the leader of the Kenaitze tribe, which was located about an hour northwest of Soldotna. He was a tall man, over six foot, and was dressed in casual modern clothing. He had deep creases in his face and looked to be around sixty. His long gray hair was braided down his back.

"Yaghali du?" the tribal elder greeted us. "It means 'how are you'," he explained.

"Very well, thank you." I replied. "I'm Jacob Black, and this is my friend, Seth Clearwater. We come from the Quileute tribe in Washington."

"Please come inside, boys. You may call me Kavekah. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

I told Kavekah about my family back at La Push, and how I recently moved to town with my wife and children. I explained how I was eager to expose my kids to the tribe's culture. He seemed pleased by my interest in his people.

"We have a wonderful festival each summer for the tourists to learn about Kenaitze heritage. I invite your whole family to join us next month in celebration of the Yaghanen, which means "the good land," Kavekah said.

I nodded my head in acceptance. "Thank you, we would love to come."

Kavekah looked to Seth and narrowed his eyes. "You my son, are something special." He leaned closer to Seth and closed his eyes. "Wolf" he said. It wasn't a question.

Seth looked to me, asking me with his eyes what he should do. Before I could think of something the tribal elder spoke again.

"You have many vampires down in Washington, my son?"

"No, Sir" Seth answered. "We used to. But they have moved on. Our pack numbers are slowly decreasing."

"I see. We have had similar circumstances around the Kenai Peninsula. They like the wildlife, you see. And the climate is suitable as well. But our tribe is strong and we have not had a human killed in my lifetime," Kavekah said with much pride in his voice. "There is a group of vampires residing in Denali. They are peaceful, if you can believe that. We have no trouble from them."

I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. "You have a pack here? Wolves?" I asked.

"Yes. Very strong. We had a male and female vampire cross through the territory a number of months ago. It appeared they were visiting Denali so we did not make ourselves known to them. They were not killers. You can tell what they eat by the way they smell" he explained.

He must have been speaking of Edward and Bella. This was beyond anything I expected when I decided to introduce myself to Kavekah. Suddenly my pulse quickened when an idea came to me.

"Kavekah, I was the alpha in our pack of twelve down at La Push" I began. He gave me a disbelieving look.

"I stopped phasing two years ago" I explained. "Have you ever experienced a tribe member regain his ability to phase after it was lost?"

Kavekah looked at me for a moment and then at Seth. He leaned closer and smelled us deliberately.

"Have you come to Kenai to hunt vampires? How did you know we were here?" he questioned, fear in his eyes.

"No, Sir. I swear. I moved here with my family. I cannot phase anymore. Seth can, but I cannot. Please tell me if you know a way for me to start phasing again" I pleaded.

"I am an old man, but I am no fool" he thundered. "I can smell vampire all over you, boy. Tell me the truth now!"

I sure had gotten myself into a hot mess. We had just moved here a week ago and I had already blown one secret. I figured honesty would be my best choice. If there were really werewolves here in Kenai, they would have discovered our arrival soon enough.

"I do not hunt vampires, but there are some here in town. Like the Denali clan, these vampires also survive only on the blood of animals. I am married to one of them. It is her you smell on me" I said calmly. Please. Answer my question."

"No" he said after a long pause. "I have never experienced a wolf begin phasing a second time. It is very difficult for our wolves to stop phasing. Your story intrigues me. Our members usually retain their ability to transform until death" he replied.

"Death? Your wolves age?" I asked, completely taken by surprise at this information.

"We certainly do," he said, motioning with his hand for us to consider him a prime example.

"Tell me more about this coven you belong to. I must say, I find it quite strange for a wolf to be fraternizing with vampires in this way" he said to me.

Kavekah, Seth, and I sat and talked for hours after these revelations were brought to light. The tribal elder was as curious about the Quileute pack, as we were about the Kenaitze. I told him how I imprinted on Nessie. Luckily, the Kenaitze shared that trait so it was not difficult for him to sympathize with my connection to the Cullens. I didn't tell him anything more about my family that would reveal their identities. I thought it best to give us a little time to decide as a family how to proceed with these new neighbors. It was nearly dark by the time Seth and returned home to Soldotna.

My mind was reeling with all the new information I had to present to the Cullens. I had a number of questions for them as well. Did Carlisle and Edward know about these Kenai wolves? What were the chances we would settle so close to them if they didn't already know? Had I already told Kavekah too much by admitting I was practically part of their coven? Maybe I shouldn't have gone to meet the tribe without talking to Carlisle first. I was starting to feel the same slightly nauseated feeling I had the first time I had to face Edward after kissing Nessie.

"He didn't seem to hate the Denali coven the way Sam or Paul would have," Seth said, sensing my mood from my lack of car talk.

"You're right. But Kate, Tanya, and Garrett are still relatively far away. The real question is what does he think about having a new coven as close to his tribe as the nearest town? And that a couple of wolves who now know his tribe's secret are part of that vampire family?" I asked.

Seth just shook his head. Nessie and the twins met us at Carlisle's house when we returned from the reservation. I couldn't sleep on this knowledge all night. I needed to get it out in the open right away. We assembled in the conference room, some might call it a dining room, while Esme offered to rock the babies to sleep. I briefly explained to everyone where Seth and I had been. That was not a surprise since I had not been quiet about my excitement in meeting the local tribes once we moved to the area. Then, I dropped the bomb that the Kenaitze were also wolves, that Kavekah had known Seth was another kind of wolf, and of course that yours truly reeked of vampire.

"Good job, mutt. You're here one week and we're already exposed!" said Rose sarcastically.

"Great to see you too, Blondie. Why are you even here?" I shot back.

"Stop, both of you" Edward interjected. He stared at Rose as he said, "Jacob, no one is blaming you."

"Carlisle, I want the absolute truth. Did you know that the Kenaitze tribe were werewolves when you chose Soldotna?" I demanded, respectfully of course.

"Jacob, no I did not. Though, I should have considered it a possibility. The Native American populations are very high in this western United States and Alaskan regions. It should have occurred to me that the Denali clan could have had the same effect on the Kenaitze people that our presence in Forks had on the Quileute's. Tanya's family has been living here for a very long time" Carlisle said.

"Super" I said sarcastically. "Well, now they know who I am, that I am connected to you, and that you all are here."

Edward added, "It was only a matter of time before this Kenai pack sensed our presence in Soldotna. I think we need to meet with this tribal leader…"

"Kavekeh" I said.

"Yes, thank you. Kavekah, and introduce ourselves. If what Jacob says is true, and they allow Tanya's coven to remain in Denali because they are vegetarian, then perhaps with a helpful word from Sam we can convince him we are no more a threat than Tanya."

"We spent hours telling him about La Push. The wolves here are different than back home. It was interesting, and he seemed more than happy to share information with us" I said.

"Yes, we could be valuable allies to one another" Carlisle said.

"Wasn't he upset to learn that vampires had recently moved to town?" Bella asked.

"He was surprised that I was here with you, but I explained how Ness and I have a family. I think he trusts me" I replied.

"Good, then Jacob please coordinate a time for Edward and I to sit down with this tribal elder. We will negotiate a treaty like we had in Forks" Carlisle said. "And Jacob?"

I looked up.

"Let's agree on the terms of the treaty _before_ you tell the Kenaitze's you intend to become one of us."


	23. Chapter 23 The Final Chapter

**A/N: Here is my final chapter, #23. When I looked at the hits J&R received last week I realized some people might have been confused and skipped chapter 21 because I posted both 21 and 22 at the same time. If that confused anyone causing them to skip 21, I apologize! **

** I'm also posting an alternate ending, because I changed my mind how I wanted to end the story halfway through. I'm posting the alternate ending as Chapter 24 in case anyone is interested in reading. Thank you so much to everyone who's followed Jacob & Renesmee to the end. Enjoy the final chapter! And please review!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Three: Forever Starts Today<p>

Carlisle, Edward, and I met with Kavekah and two other tribe members a few days later. They were equally welcoming to my undead family as they had been to Seth and me. Carlisle gave the elders a brief history of how the family came together and our intentions while living in the Kenai Peninsula.

One of the elders recognized Edward's scent from his trip to Denali with Bella. That helped prove to the Kenaitzes that we were telling the truth about our friendship with Tanya's coven, and our reasons for moving here. The elders also seemed pleased that the duration of our stay would not exceed five or six years. Kavekah did not understand why the Denali coven never relocated but Carlisle was promising them that our family would. The difference was the simple fact that Tanya and Kate do not mind being isolated in the Denali wilderness where there are few people to notice them, while the Cullens' prefer to mix with society as best as possible. They were impressed that Carlisle had begun working at the hospital. Our two leaders discussed boundary lines and hunting grounds. I was pleased that the terms of the treaty were reached in one meeting.

Seth and I spent a lot of time on the reservation over the next week. Kavekah's second-in-command was named Chugiak. He offered to teach us how to hunt moose and properly fish the Funny River. The pack even let Seth run patrol with them one night. Seth enjoyed the reservation so much that I didn't think he really wanted to go home. On the ride back to the airport I told him what Nessie and I had only decided that morning; that Seth could stay with us for as long as he liked if he chose to make a move to Alaska.

"We seriously would love to have you here" I told him after we arrived at the little Kenai Municipal Airport.

"Thanks, man. I'll talk to my mom and let you know" he replied with a smile. "I think I would like it too. Things aren't the same at La Push anymore. They guys are all moving on."

"Well, then pack your bags and let me know if your mommy says it's okay," I joked.

He mock punched my arm and I pulled him into a hug.

"Have a safe flight" I said.

I hurried home to eat lunch with Nessie and the babies before we had to meet with the others. Kavekah had insisted we all attend the Yaghanen celebration he had invited me to at our first meeting. One of the rules of the treaty were vampires were not to come onto Kenaitze land unless invited. Carlisle said it would be a good public relations move for us all to accept this invitation. Nessie and I had a great time during the festival watching the traditional dances and learning about the history of the land. When we got home that night I was exhausted. Ness put the babies in their cribs and flopped into bed next to me.

"Hey, honey?" I asked her softly.

"Yeah?" she replied without opening her eyes.

"I'm ready now" I said.

"For what, babe?"

"For Carlisle to change me" I said slowly and confidently.

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy!" she exclaimed. "You've spent the past two weeks connecting with your new wolf brothers and out of nowhere you want to become a vampire?"

"Ness, moving here has been an eye opening experience for me. I really love it here. I feel connected to the tribe… yes, and they are so accepting of bloodsu- I mean, vampires."

She glowered at me, something she hasn't done in a while.

"You know what I mean. They seemed to have accepted our family so easily. I don't want to spend the next ten months human knowing it's only temporary," I explained.

"Jake, are you sure? I know this is what I want, and you say it's what you want, but I don't want you to rush it. Your three years aren't up yet, sweetie" she said, her hand rubbing my forearm.

"I know, but I feel like we're starting fresh in a new city, with new identities. I just want to be one person here. If I wait, then everyone will get to know me, and they'll see a big change in me ten months from now. How will I explain the transformation once everyone in town gets used to the human me?"

"If you are sure then I'm on board. But you have to convince Carlisle," she replied.

It didn't take much convincing to make Carlisle see my logic. I should take the leap now, before the towns folk grow accustomed to my current appearance. What I wasn't thrilled about was his insistence that I inform Kavekah. Carlisle thought it would be the best way to show them we respect their control over the territory, and also so they don't think I was turned against my will.

I met with Kavekah and Chugiak the very next day. We were seated in the large empty meeting room of their lodge.

"I have something important to share with you. I wanted to show my respect by telling you ahead of time," I began.

"As you know, my wife is half vampire. She is immortal like her family. When I found out that I could no longer phase, it was detrimental to our relationship, because I was aging again. This was two years ago, and during that time I have thought a great deal about my life, and my commitment to her."

I kept waiting for one of them to interrupt me. Shout at me maybe, or say my decision will negate the treaty, but their faces were expressionless. They had no idea where I was headed with my speech.

"Nessie is my imprint. I understand you have the same experiences with your pack members. I cannot turn away from my promise to love her forever, and at the time I was literally promising her eternity. So after much thought I agreed to keep my promise and join her kind."

"You want to become vampire?" Chugiak said, as if the thought disgusted him.

"Yes."

Kavekah held up his hand to prevent Chugiak from replying. He said, "Jacob, we have not known each other long enough to owe one another explanations for the choices we make. I appreciate you coming to us before this took place. Is there anything I can offer you to help you? To change your mind?"

"Thank you for your kind words. I was hoping you would tell me there was a way for me to join your pack. My wife fell in love with a werewolf, I don't think she'd mind being married to one again, so long as I was immortal. But you said yourself that your kind ages normally. So, no, I don't believe I have any other option" I said.

"I'll give you my tribe's blessing, Jacob Black. Since you have come to us for permission, we will uphold the treaty and maintain the alliance" Kavekah replied.

There was nothing else standing in my way.

Everyone was there. The whole family gathered to witness my transformation. It almost felt like a graduation ceremony, only creepier. Carlisle had set up all his supplies and equipment in Nessie's and my bedroom. Esme and Rose were going to take the twins back to their house as soon as this began to keep them safe from me. Someone would be here at the house helping Nessie for as long as this took.

Rose brought Jeremy and Natalie in to see me and I hugged each of them.

.

"Don't worry about the babies. You'll see them again after your three days of excruciating pain."

It was the nicest thing she ever said to me.

Bella walked over to the bed and took my hand. I thought about how pretty she had been when we were teenagers. She was more beautiful now, but what made her unique as a human still glimmered inside her. I was glad to be part of her family the way she'd always wanted me to be. I hoped the best parts of me would remain after this ordeal the way the best parts of Bella had.

"Don't be scared" she said. Her frozen fingers were giving me chills. I felt like my teeth might start chattering. "It hurts, but I know you can handle it."

"Thanks, Bells" I said.

I heard Nessie crying and looked over at her, standing across the room next to Edward. Bella patted my arm and gave me a warm smile. She motioned for Nessie to come sit next to me. I hadn't thought about how difficult it would be for my wife to watch this take place. I remembered how Edward wouldn't leave Bella's side for a moment. He'd seen Rose and Emmett turned years earlier but was still a complete mess when it was his wife's turn.

"Please don't cry, honey" I said, sitting up a little in the bed.

"I'm so scared. What if the venom is poisonous to you? What if you don't wake up?" she sobbed.

"Carlisle tested my blood. He wouldn't do this if he wasn't sure it was safe." I said. "Right?"

Carlisle came over to the other side of the bed. "That's right, Ness. I promise you Jacob will be okay."

Edward walked over to stand behind Nessie and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Come with me, sweetheart. Maybe you should wait outside. You can come back in to sit by him after Carlisle is through" he urged her.

I didn't want her to leave, but also couldn't bear to see her so upset. I encouraged her to follow Edward out into the living room to wait. Once it was only Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper in the room I turned my head back to Carlisle.

"Okay, doc. Let's get this over with."

"Alright. I'm just going to check your vitals before we begin" Carlisle said, sounding very doctor like.

He timed my pulse, checked my blood pressure, and then took my temperature.

"Your heart is beating a little fast. Nerves, maybe?" Carlisle said. I couldn't answer with the thermometer in my mouth so I nodded. He removed the thermometer and said, "Hmmmm."

"Jacob, are you feeling well today?" he asked alarmed.

"Yeah, fine. I've kinda got the chills but like you said, my nerves are on edge, and all you vamps keep touching me with your ice cold hands" I joked.

"Jacob, your temperature is 104 degrees. That isn't nerves. Are you sure you don't feel sick?" Carlisle replied, holding up the thermometer for me to see.

"That's impossible! My temperature has been back to 98.6 ever since I turned human. I'm not sick. The only time it's ever been so high was when…"

I couldn't finish my sentence. Carlisle stood up and said, "We need to wait now, see if the fever comes back down. It isn't a good idea to tempt this if you're possibly undergoing another change."

I remember refusing to believe him, even laughing at his theory, but the fever must have only gotten worse because the next thing I knew it was dark outside.

I could hear Nessie talking to someone outside the room, probably Bella. And someone was seated next to me. There was a cold washcloth on my forehead. When I opened my eyes I saw the person with me was Seth. I suddenly didn't know where I was and that sparked me to bolt up in bed quickly trying to take in my surroundings.

"Calm down, man. You're okay" Seth said. I realized I was still in my bedroom. I put my hand on my chest and felt my heart beating. So I guess I wasn't a vampire yet.

"What- what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Nessie called to update me on your condition. When your fever climbed over 108 I decided it might be time to take you up on that offer" he replied.

"Oh, 108? Damn. You're staying this time? You only left a few days ago," I said, my mind felt hazy and blank.

"Jake, you've been in and out of consciousness for six days man." He laughed. "But you've been holding steady at 108 for almost 24 hours now. And this is the most you've talked since it came on."

"It's impossible" I mumbled. "The Kenai elders have never had a pack member start phasing again."

"Jake, you're not Kenaitze, but being up here with this tribe, it's like you're starting fresh. Their tribe is still adding new members because of the Denali coven having Garrett join a few years ago, and now the Cullen's are here. Their magic is still active, and inside you are still a werewolf" Seth said, unable to hide his excitement.

"No, I can't be a Kenai wolf. They age! If I'm one of them then vampire venom is poisonous to me and I can't be turned. I can't live forever with my family!"

"Listen to me, you are not Kenaitze! You've stumbled upon this tribe that has allowed you to access what's always been inside you. Sam agrees with me. Quileute wolves don't age, Jacob. You are still Quileute" he said. "There's only one way to be sure though. When I ran with the Kenai pack I couldn't communicate with them telepathically. You need to phase, and if you can't hear their thoughts then you'll know."

I couldn't believe this was happening to me, but there I was, buck naked in the forest again. Nessie and Seth had come with me. We met up with one of the Kenaitze werewolves in a clearing to test Seth's theory. The Kenai wolf, Wyatt, was already phased. I kissed Nessie tenderly, holding her face in my hands. Then I stepped back a safe distance from her and said, "Here goes nothing."

I felt my body get even more heated and my limbs tingled. A rush of familiar sensations flowed through me and I shut my eyes tight as I felt myself drop to the cold ground. I knew I had phased successfully when I saw the broad grin on Nessie's face. I looked down at my hands and found russet colored paws in their place.

"Are you okay, Jake?" Nessie asked me.

I nodded my head and looked over at Seth. His expression was of anticipation. I think it meant almost as much to him that I phased as to Nessie and I. I looked over to Wyatt and directed my thoughts to him.

_Wyatt, can you hear me? If you can, please bark._

Nothing. I listened hard but could not hear any of his thoughts. I tried again but got no response from him. I quickly phased back and collapsed on the ground. Nessie rushed over to me and helped me dress.

"What did you hear, Jake?" she asked.

"Nothing. I couldn't hear him" I exclaimed. "Wyatt, could you hear my thoughts?"

The wolf shook his large head and ducked behind the bushes to phase.

"I couldn't hear you at all, Jacob" Wyatt told me.

I thanked him for helping us. Now I was sure Seth and Sam were right, and I was beyond thrilled. Seth wanted to stay with us in Soldotna. I could be alpha of a new Quileute pack there. We could run with the Kenais and patrol the Denali wilderness. When my children grew up they might be able to join the pack, and have another option available to them besides becoming vampires.

"Are you happy about this Nessie?" I asked, taking both her hands in mine.

"Yes, Jacob. I love you no matter what you are. I know this makes you happy, and I don't mind that you won't be a vampire after all. _This_ is who you are, who you've always been to me" Ness replied, hugging me tightly and kissing my chest.

"I love you" she whispered.

"I love you, too" I replied.

I didn't know what to expect from my life when I imprinted on a vampire. I can tell you it hasn't always been easy. We've had rough patches and arguments like any other couple, though you could never mistake us for a regular couple. Seth stayed true to his word and moved in with us up in Soldotna. We formed a little two-wolf pack and routinely patrolled with Kavekah and his wolves. Nessie and I raised our children the best we knew how, Jeremy, Natalie, and three more little ones that followed later. We watched them grow up. I stopped aging after forming the new pack with Seth and was able to keep my promise to my wife without giving up the parts of me that made me who I was. It might have been a bumpy ride getting to where we were, but I could honestly say that I was truly happy.


	24. Alternate Ending

**A/N: Attention! This is the ALTERNATE ENDING to Jacob & Renesmee. The final chapter is posted as Chapter 23. Please read this after you read the final chapter. **

**Thank you again to everyone who's read my story! I've enjoyed writing it and reading your comments. **

**My next story will be an all human Edward/Bella fic about finding love in college, and will be called Our Broken Road. **

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><p>J&amp;R Alternate ending for Chapter 23:<p>

Everyone was there. The whole family gathered to witness my transformation. It almost felt like a graduation ceremony, only creepier. Carlisle had set up all his supplies and equipment in Nessie's and my bedroom. Esme and Rose were going to take the twins back to their house as soon as this began to keep them safe. Someone would be here at the house helping Nessie for as long as this took.

Rose brought Jeremy and Natalie in to see me and I hugged each of them.

"Don't worry about the babies. You'll see them again after your three days of excruciating pain."

It was the nicest thing she ever said to me.

Bella walked over to the bed and took my hand. I thought about how pretty she had been when we were teenagers. She was more beautiful now, but what made her unique as a human still glimmered inside her. I was glad to be part of her family the way she'd always wanted me to be. I hoped the best parts of me would remain after this ordeal the way the best parts of Bella had.

"Don't be scared" she said. Her frozen fingers were giving me chills. I felt like my teeth might start chattering. "It hurts, but I know you can handle it."

"Thanks, Bells" I said.

I heard Nessie crying and looked over at her, standing across the room next to Edward. Bella patted my arm and gave me a warm smile. She motioned for Nessie to come sit next to me. I hadn't thought about how difficult it would be for my wife to watch this take place. I remembered how Edward wouldn't leave Bella's side for a moment. He'd seen Rose and Emmett turned years earlier but was still a complete mess when it was his wife's turn.

"Please don't cry, honey" I said, sitting up a little in the bed.

"I'm so scared. What if the venom is poisonous to you? What if you don't wake up?" she sobbed.

"Carlisle tested my blood. He wouldn't do this if he wasn't sure it was safe." I said. "Right?"

Carlisle came over to the other side of the bed. "That's right, Ness. I promise you Jacob will be okay."

Edward walked over to stand behind Nessie and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Come with me, sweetheart. Maybe you should wait outside. You can come back in to sit by him after Carlisle is through" he urged her.

I didn't want her to leave, but also couldn't bear to see her so upset. I encouraged her to follow Edward out into the living room to wait. Once it was only Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper in the room I turned my head back to Carlisle.

"Okay, doc. Let's get this over with."

"Alright. I'm just going to check your vitals before we begin" Carlisle said, sounding very doctor like.

He timed my pulse, checked my blood pressure, and then took my temperature.

"Everything looks good, Jacob. Are you ready?" he said.

My last chance to back out. I heard Natalie cry in the other room. I could envision Nessie picking her up from the crib to soothe her. I wanted to be with my family, forever. I couldn't think of any reason in the world worth leaving them. I had no doubts about that.

"I'm ready" I said.

I saw Carlisle lean over me and move the collar of my shirt out of his way. Emmett and Jasper were standing behind him in case Carlisle lost control. I closed my eyes as I felt Carlisle's teeth graze my skin. I felt a sharp pain and I screamed.

The pain was intense. I told myself over and over that if Bella could do this, so could I. I felt my insides moving and changing. It was like I was on fire and all these people standing around me wouldn't put the fire out. The only thing that kept me from losing my mind was the sound of my wife, my Nessie. I could feel her presence next to me. I could smell her better than ever before. She was holding my hand and stoking my hair. There were mumbled voices in the background. I could have heard them clearly if I'd tried, but I only wanted to listen to the sound of Nessie breathing in and out. After what felt like weeks the pain started to wane and I could focus on sensations and sounds besides the fire.

I heard Nessie calling to me. She said, "Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me? Wake up, baby."

After a few tries I was able to comply with her pleading and I followed her voice out of the flames. I blinked a few times and finally opened my eyes to begin my new life.


End file.
